Last of the Spider-Clan
by FrivolousThoughts
Summary: Pītā Pākā, the last living member of the once great Shukeikō-Clan, has to make his own way in a tough ninja world with the amazing abilities gifted to him by his bloodline. He can do anything a spider can, and holding the wise words of his clan's nindō close to his heart, Pītā knows that with great power, there must also come great responsibility.
1. A Pleasant Conversation

**Author's Note:** Anyone else notice the serious lack of Spider-Man in the twenty something Spidey/Naruto crossovers? Me too! And I decided to do something about it, something drastic and incredibly impulsive of me.

So, if you don't know me or my writing, I have this small story where I pair Peter Parker up with the finest women fiction has to offer. And I'm going to start anime chapters soon and the plan was to cover Naruto characters too, but the more I thought and wrote about it, the more I started really getting into the idea of a full-blown story with a Hidden Leaf ninja Spidey.

So this is the first chapter, but not really the first chapter. It's more of an introductory chapter, a kind of testing of the waters. This is the kind of thing you can expect from me, I like to place a big emphasis on character's relationships and their motivations and not have them be cardboard cutouts and emotionally boring. I love action too, don't get me wrong, but I think we'll start out slow with this one.

Now, if you're a fan of Naruto (I'm hoping you are since you've clicked on this) then you'll expect things to go a certain way. Team 7 is Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke; Haku is a dude, so on and so forth. Well, throw that out of the window. There's a spider present and he's gonna change things, his mere existence has already started to change things. Head into the story with an open mind and just see if this is the kind of thing you're looking for, if not, then thanks for stopping by and taking a look.

This is a story about an alternate version of Peter Parker, his name is Pītā Pākā (clever, right?). And as such, the story will focus and center around him. Characters like Naruto (obviously), Sakura and Sasuke will still be important, but this is a story about the last living spider and what he has to go through to become a legend. He'll make friends, enemies, possibly even romances and will almost be killed every now and then, but just enjoy the ride.

I have to give credit where credit is due, I was partially inspired by **texaswookie's Konoha Spider** and **HK-Revan's Silk Threads**. I took a few pointers, as you'll see when you read, so I just thought I'd sight my inspiration as I really enjoyed those stories, they were written by two very talented authors. You should check them out if you have the time!

I hope you guys enjoy and for you hardcore Naruto fans out there, this is a relatively simpler look into the Narutoverse, so don't be too hard on this amateur!

 **Disclaimer:** Spider-Man and all related characters are owned by Marvel and in turn, Disney. Naruto and all related characters are owned by Masashi Kishimoto, I own nothing.

* * *

 **A Pleasant Conversation (Bell-Test Arc)**

Sunlight filtered through the many tall trees occupying the village of Konoha, a clear blue sky watching over the beautiful secluded settlement like a nurturing parent. The local wildlife played and scurried, birds sang and flew, and the humans of the village got on with their average day to day lives.

For some, this was a simple matter of merchants selling food or other wares, trading items or weapons. Mothers made breakfast for their children, cattle drivers looked after their livestock and teachers taught their students as well as they could manage.

Sensei's taught their pupils everything they could, in hopes that they would one day graduate from the prestigious Academy. The Academy was the establishment erected long ago to train young students, fashioning them into future prospective ninja. The most recent generation of students had already been chosen to graduate from the Academy, and had done so the previous day.

Today, they'd been divided up and placed into several separate groups of three, or teams. Sensei, Iruka-Sensei, had chosen them himself, based on their skills, strengths and weaknesses. Some students were happy with the results and settled into their teams fairly quickly, others were not so lucky, being forced to have to work with and rely on students that they didn't get along with.

Sakura Haruno was a victim of the latter, unfortunately. Though it seemed as if some form of higher power was laughing at the pink haired child as she hadn't just been partnered with Naruto Uzumaki, the resident class clown of the Academy, but Pītā Pākā as well.

It wasn't necessarily a bad thing; per se. Sakura had known Pītā for many years, practically her whole short life. Her mother and his aunt had been friends long before either of them had been born into the world, so she kind of had to get along with him at the behest of their parents. Even though they'd played together as young children, Sakura was twelve and beginning to mature.

At least, mature in the sense that all she could think about were boys. Or one boy in particular, that boy being Sasuke Uchiha. An emotionally cold and uncaring boy, he'd never once taken notice of Sakura or her clear and obvious feelings for him. Still, it didn't deter her and wouldn't in the many years to come.

Though, the path was long and winding and Sakura had just been dealt a particularly devastating blow… Sasuke had called her annoying, right to her face.

"I'm annoying?" Sakura muttered to herself, sat on a solid stone bench in the comfortable silence and relative isolation a grove of trees provided.

She wasn't really sure how to respond to such a remark, especially from someone like Sasuke, her one true love. "That's what he said… now I get it, this is how Naruto must feel." She realized, her pink bangs framing her adolescent face perfectly.

Somehow, she'd managed to turn the blunt insult around. "I shouldn't treat him like that, next time I see him, I'm going to be nice." Sakura stated, as if presenting the challenge to herself.

"Gonna be nice to who, forehead?" A male voice cut through the tranquil setting like glass, adolescent and verging on puberty just like herself.

Sakura hopped out of her seat on the stone bench, almost jumping out of her skin in the process. She hadn't heard anything, no movement, no warning that somebody was watching her, nothing. And when she saw the newcomer, she knew why. It was Pītā, hanging upside down and holding onto a strand of shining silk with one hand, decked out in his usual ninja garb.

His wild and untameable brunette hair peaked out over his forehead protector, while his piercing chocolate coloured eyes stared at the girl below him with humorous interest. Sakura couldn't see the lower half of his face; nobody ever could as it was hidden by a dark blue mask. A stylized red flak jacket covered his torso, black lines running along it in the startling shape of a spider. A long-sleeved blue undershirt rested beneath the flak jacket, while baggy blue pants covered his legs. White bandage wrappings winded around his forearms and shins, capped off with red fingerless gloves and red and blue strap up sandals.

He never took the mask that covered his jaw off in public, and Sakura often wondered why. Perhaps he was hiding some hideous scar, or had jagged, razor sharp teeth like some sort of spider monster. Okay, she was scaring herself, but the fact that he could do whatever a spider could was pure nightmare fuel.

He was the only one that could do the things he could anymore, as the rest of his once large clan had died out. Pītā belonged to, was the last living member, of one of the oldest clans in the world's history. The legendary Shukeikō-Clan, a massive branching clan of ninja all possessing one thing that drew them together, the abilities of an arachnid.

Unlike all other clans, the Shukeikō-Clan wasn't just made up of one family. Several families filled the ranks of the clan but the largest family had always been the Pākās. It was part of their history, something they'd had to learn about at the Academy. An ancestor of Pītā's had somehow obtained the abilities of an arachnid, and began to spread his bloodline. He didn't limit himself to just one woman either, and that was why the clan was so expansive and far-reaching.

A lot of the details were sketchy at best as some things in their history went unrecorded, but the clan eventually died out, the last two spiders to pass being Pītā's father and uncle, Ryota and Benji Pākā.

Sakura wasn't sure what that meant for Pītā, whether he was the clan's leader or whether the clan was simply no more. All she knew was that his abilities gave him unfair advantages in a fight; he did things like spin actual spider silk from his wrists and was able to move faster than the human eye could follow.

All ninjas were fast, but Pītā kicked things up a level for someone of his age. And then there was the ability to cling to any surface, without the use of Chakra or wall-walking, it was totally unfair in her opinion. But the one thing that was apparent from the get go was his incredible strength, something no student his age should've been able to possess.

Sakura had seen him uproot trees as if it were nothing, she'd witnessed him bend steel like he was toying with paper and crush solid boulders of rock with his bare hands… and he was only twelve years old. The thought that his strength would increase with age was astounding, and Sakura was reminded of the legendary strength of Lady Tsunade.

Though she doubted Pītā would ever be able to match her in terms of raw strength, no matter how many years passed. But that was a tale for another time, right now; Pītā was too busy annoying his long-time friend. The word 'friend' being used in the loosest of terms, of course.

Sakura found herself grinding her teeth like some kind of wild animal, it was almost uncanny how he drove her immediately over the edge with one word… forehead. Sakura hated it, plain and simple. She didn't find it funny, not the first time he'd said it many years ago and she certainly wasn't amused now.

"Don't. Call me. Forehead." The aggression was painfully clear in her tone, and if it were possible, steam might've just blown out of her ears and nose.

She felt her fists ball in anger, she didn't know why, couldn't explain it… but Pītā always made her feel this way. On-guard, abrasive, almost ready to tear someone's head off. Namely his, but that was neither here nor there.

The masked ninja shrugged, not the least bit intimidated by her little show of rage… he never was. "Oh! With the forehead thing! I forgot about that! I mean, every time I see you, it's just screaming at me, you know? Ah, you know what I'm talking about." Pītā casually excused himself, slowly tilting his body from right to left… like some kind of swinging pendulum.

But Sakura was having none of it, the way he'd always try and slyly talk himself out of a problem. "No, I don't know what you're talking about. The only person that knows what you're talking about is Naruto, because he's just as annoying as you are!" She yelled at him, finger pointing at him in an accusing manner and everything.

The spider styled pre-teen arched an eyebrow, but smirked beneath his mask. "Didn't your beloved just call you the same thing? Annoying? Because if so, that'd mean we're in the same boat. Which in turn means… you do know what I'm talking about! Funny how things works out, huh?" He remarked, broadly grinning for her to see.

And she did see it; Sakura knew full well what he was doing. He was doing the thing he always did, or tried to do at least. He was trying to tick her off, make her angry, and get to her. She didn't know why, she doubted she ever would… but it puzzled her to no end.

"Ugh! There's no way out of this, is there? You're not going to leave me alone, are you?" Sakura admonished, almost deflating in defeat as getting angrier and angrier only seemed to make things worse.

Pītā chuckled, letting go of his web-line and flipping to the ground in a remarkably fluid show of agility and grace. He landed on his feet, toes poking out of his red and blue sandals as he crouched for a moment. Sakura found it oddly and creepily appropriate, how he always seemed to be crouching or balancing on something, like a spider stalking its prey. Her peer rose to his full height, a little bit taller than the average child their age, the gap made even more apparent by his hair poking out over his forehead protector.

He stood a good deal taller than her; around five foot two to her four foot eight. "Easy there, cupcake, you make it sound like I'm obsessed with you." Pītā replied, his brown eyes, the only distinguishable features of his face, staring at her comically.

Sakura stood up to him, fists resting on her hips as she met his playful expression with a glare. "So what do you want, Pītā? I'm already in a bad mood today; I really don't need you giving me a headache too." The pink haired Genin questioned, puzzled by his sudden frustrating arrival.

"I don't know, a lively chat maybe? Spar with a teammate? Eat lunch with a friend? Or maybe we could just sit and enjoy the scenery, it's your call." The brunette Shinobi shrugged, moving past Sakura to take a seat on the stone bench.

Sakura followed his movement with her emerald green eyes, her frown deepening as he sat there and stared at her. "You want to sit with me? That's all you want to do? No stupid insults or sly remarks? Just sit in silence?" She queried, though her expression held crystal clear scepticism.

Pītā patted the spot next to him, arching an eyebrow in curiosity. "Would you be more inclined to sit with me if my name was Sasuke?" He challenged, a smirk dancing across his lips as Sakura took offense.

She was about to explode on him at the mention of Sasuke but caught herself, folding her arms and closing her eyes in a proud manner. "I can sit with anyone I like; of course it doesn't have to be Sasuke… I'm not obsessed with him." The Kunoichi claimed, elegantly placing herself down on the bench.

Pītā watched her cross a leg over the other one and not get too close to him, proximity must have been an issue for her. "Well, that just blew my mind." He muttered, his friendly tone of voice filtering through his mask.

Surprisingly, Sakura seemed to take the joke much better than she usually did. "Shut up," she bluntly told him, though a minute smile tugged at her lips.

She was relaxing and not taking things as seriously as she usually would, Pītā figured that maybe the insult Sasuke had labelled her with had sort of opened her eyes a little bit. Not all the way, but maybe a fraction. This Sakura he liked, when she wasn't so uptight and defensive. She never used to be like that; neither did Ino Yamanaka in their youth. Pītā remembered with nostalgic fondness when the two of them were close, thicker than thieves even.

A wedge named Sasuke Uchiha had been driven between them, and in all honesty, Pītā kind of felt sorry for them. He knew why they acted in such a way, like no other person in the land even compared to the Uchiha heir. But it seemed so strange to him, they were all twelve years old and trying to be accomplished ninjas.

Boys should have been the last thing on Sakura and Ino's mind, yet… well, it was anything but last.

"You okay?" Pītā asked, honestly and openly as he rested his elbows on his knees.

Sakura directed her gaze toward him, arching a pink eyebrow in confusion. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" She returned, brushing her red qipao dress down as it became ruffled in a soft summer breeze.

Pītā shrugged, straightening up but never taking his eyes off of her as he did so. "That thing with Sasuke, he called you annoying." The arachnid themed ninja answered, watching as Sakura's fair complexion paled slightly.

She stared downward, tearing her gaze away from his as she suddenly found her feet interesting. "You really heard that, huh?" Sakura inquired; in such a meek and wounded voice that it shocked Pītā to his core.

The lad had never seen her so hurt before, so vulnerable and weak. It caught him by surprise, how affected she was. To be in such a state, Pītā figured she must have really valued Sasuke's opinion. There were no other ways to describe her, just dejected and quiet.

The web-slinger kind of preferred the big loud-mouthed rendition; at least she was fun to argue with. "Someone's heart being broken? Caught that on the other side of the village," the boy aired his thoughts.

Sakura didn't really know how to respond, offering a whisper to her temporary company. "You make it sound worse than it is," she murmured, chancing a glance at the red and blue misfit.

Pītā nodded, not really knowing enough on the subject to offer up his own opinion… he doubted she'd listen to it anyway. "Guess I blew things a little out of proportion," he simply responded, not willing to push things further lest he receive a smack upside the head.

But he didn't have to, as Sakura turned to him with her hands pressed together. "Exactly! So it's not the end of the world, right?" The rosy coloured girl posed, surprising Pītā with the follow up question.

He found himself running a hand through his thick brunette hair, a nervous tick of his that he really needed to get rid of. "Last time I checked… no," Pītā lightly joked, prompting a short squeal out of his companion.

The boy felt Sakura's hands wrap around his arm as she smiled brightly, cheeks blushing a colour to match her traditional dress. "You're right! Sasuke was probably just ticked off about something! It all makes perfect sense!" She practically cheered, pulling Pītā up off of his feet and had he not possessed amazing strength, almost yanking his arm out of the socket.

But the girl's newfound joy was lost on him; he'd barely said anything to her to instigate such a response. "Calm down before you pop a blood vessel, I didn't say that." He dryly told her, watching her jump up and down like an excitable puppy.

She squeezed his arm tighter, though he didn't notice the pressure. "You didn't have to! I just got upset over nothing, that's all! All I needed was to talk to someone, who'd have thought that someone was you!" Sakura continued to celebrate her renewed happiness, rendering her teammate lost for words.

"I don't know what's going on right now, are you having the same conversation I'm having?" He deadpanned, a painfully upbeat and sunny Sakura smiling up at his blank expression.

Sakura nodded joyfully, still clasped onto his arm like a vice. "So what do you think? Do you think I have a shot with Sasuke? And be honest, Pītā. True love isn't the kind of thing you joke about," she advised, adopting a playfully stern tone that took the words right out of the boy's fabric covered mouth.

Pītā's chocolate orbs darted from left to right as sweat amassed beneath his forehead protector; literally no-one was in sight, nobody could've provided a good enough distraction and he was stuck with one of the most aggressive girls on his arm. He didn't really get why she was asking him though, most of the time she didn't even listen to what he had to say, so why was she suddenly valuing his opinion?

"Umm… I think—well, I'm no expert on the subject of relationships but… it's a really complex matter and like you said, can't be taken lightly… it's like my uncle used to say, he'd say—" Pītā stammered, his usually cool and confident tone being replaced by a series of ill-judged inane babble.

Sakura cut him off, her cheery disposition running out on the patience she was granting him. "Are you gonna spit it out or what, bug boy?" She addressed, poking him in the chest for emphasis.

Pītā had to think things over, but the truth was… he really didn't know what to say. He almost never had to get so serious in a conversation, most of the time it was all one-liners and quippy comments but when presented with something so fragile, he struggled. The boy didn't want to tell her what she wanted to hear, because what if she got her hopes up and waited years for something that wasn't going to happen?

But if he told her that she didn't have a chance, then he was going to receive the full brunt of her anger. It was literally a lose-lose situation, there was no way around it. The only way to play it was to be neutral, try and offer as vague an answer as possible.

Pītā gulped, when he'd woken up this morning, he really hadn't expected to be someone's relationship counsellor. "Listen, Sakura… you're twelve years old and we're meeting our new sensei in less than an hour, don't you think this is the last thing you should be obsessing over? I mean, why not wait until you become a fully-fledged ninja? Then you can focus on this kind of stuff to your heart's content," he suggested, eyebrows knitted together as he spoke through his blue mask.

The kid watched her expression for a moment, waiting for the split second the girl would grit her teeth and go for his throat. But surprisingly, that rather violent and un-lady like moment never came. Instead, Sakura appeared thoughtful, her hands finally loosening and sliding off of Pītā's arm as she took a step back.

"So you're saying… wait and see?" She simply asked, a quizzical hint to her voice that negated any bad feeling the arachnid might have gotten.

Pītā shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck as he thought about her query. "Well, if you wanna look at it like that then sure. But my point is, there's so much more to life than just boys and schoolyard crushes. You're a Kunoichi of Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. You should be proud of who you are, and you shouldn't let things get to you so much. You're not annoying, if anything you're… endearing, I guess." He admitted, hoping that a compliment would make things smoother.

Sakura's pink eyebrows knitted themselves together, doing nothing to take away from her pretty complexion. "Endearing?" She repeated him in the form of a question, as Pītā held up a hand flippantly.

The brunette Shinobi nodded, surprised that such a well-read student like Sakura wasn't aware of the word. "Yeah, you know, endearing. Like charming or sweet or… cute," he croaked out, not quite catching himself before he spoke that last word.

Sakura's brow shot up, a dumbfounded expression finding its way to her face. "You… think I'm cute?" She breathed out, having never been called such a thing by anyone but her parents before… certainly not a boy.

Pītā held his hands up, backing away for a moment but almost tripping over absolutely nothing in the process. "I said endearing," he excused, preferring the broad word rather than the one he'd accidentally used.

Sakura placed a hand on her hip, taking on a posture that told the kid she wasn't having any of it. "Which means cute," she reminded him, not particularly sure whether to be flattered or annoyed.

Pītā raised a finger, as if to accentuate some sort of point he was about to make. "I prefer endearing but… okay," were the only words that came out of his mouth, his usually quick thinking mind drawing a complete blank.

Sakura turned her back on him for a moment, before spinning around with her mouth ajar and a pointed finger. No words left her mouth, so she span back around on her sandals, only to spin back a final time and finally talk to the boy.

"Okay? Okay?! That's all you have to say?!" She yelled at him, eyes firmly shut and cheeks glowing a deep red to match her dress.

Pītā scratched his messy brunette hair, kind of not understanding what was going on. "I feel like this is some kind of complex girly test where we share feelings and stuff… is this one of those tests?" He asked, pretty much feeling as though he were stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Sakura took a deep breath, before exhaling and appearing all the calmer for it. "No, no… it's not a test. It's just… no-one's ever called me pretty before, that's all. You kind of caught me by surprise there, Pītā." She told him, voice meek and embarrassed.

"Oh… well, I meant every word of it. And now, to dispel this awkward air between us, I'm gonna do something I've always wanted to do." The last living descendant of the Shukeikō-Clan warned her, before gently pressing a finger to her petit nose.

Sakura's emerald coloured eyes crossed for a moment, staring down at the adhesive finger of her friend. "Boop," Pītā accentuated the action with the funny sounding word, before pulling his digit away and staring at Sakura with unwavering confidence.

She was sort of stunned for a solid moment, absolutely befuddled as to how someone could make the leap from flat out honesty and sincerity to childish antics and ridiculous humour in the space of a couple of seconds… nobody but Pītā Pākā was capable of such a thing.

Finally, she spoke, cheeks still somewhat rosy and a small, gentile smile present on her lips. "Okay, that was… surreal." Sakura admitted, but on the inside, she really didn't mind the absolute fun the boy exuded.

The red and blue Shinobi gave a short laugh, comfortable after managing to break through such a hard exterior. "Expect plenty more moments like that, poptart. Teammates, remember?" Pītā reminded the pink-haired ninja, prompting her to hold a hand to her rather large forehead.

"Don't remind me," Sakura practically whispered, but not hushed enough that Pītā's enhanced senses couldn't pick it up.

She felt a solid hand rest on her shoulder, only marginally bigger than her own hands but infinitely stronger. "You know, if you gave Naruto a chance, you'd see that his heart's in the right place." Pītā advised, fully believing that everyone deserved to get a chance.

Pītā didn't know Naruto as well as he did Sakura, but he was very much aware of the kid. Heck, the entire village was. And Pītā saw the way they treated him, took out all of their anger and frustration on him. It wasn't fair, it wasn't right. The boy couldn't understand it, there was no way that the village would be so angry at him just because he pulled a few pranks every now and then.

There had to be a deeper reason, something that mattered, something tangible and important. Nobody deserved that kind of hate, least of all an innocent twelve year old boy. Pītā didn't dwell on it as he figured that being a part of Team 7, with Sakura and Naruto, would give him plenty of time to get to know the kid and maybe, just maybe, find out what made him so special.

Before Sakura could reply, a distinctly mischievous presence made itself known. "Hey, Sakura! Pītā!" A grinning Naruto Uzumaki called out to them, jogging into the grove of trees to join them.

The duo span around to face the always orange clad boy, as he gradually neared them with each passing second. "Speak of the devil," Sakura murmured, feeling something tap her arm.

She found Pītā staring at her, giving her one of those discreet looks that usually meant something else. "Smile, Sakura." He suggested, before pulling his brown eyes away from her to greet Naruto with a friendly wave.

"Glad you found us, Naruto. We were just about to walk back to the Academy, meet our new teacher… big day, right?" The abnormally agile ninja conversed, hoping to strike up some sort of friendship with the boy.

It mattered after all, they'd need to get along for many years to come and that would prove to be a difficult task if they all hated one another. "Definitely! I can't wait to show him what we're made of, believe it!" Naruto exclaimed, clear enthusiasm that almost seemed infectious to his teammates.

Sakura nodded, noticing that although he was an idiot sometimes, he really did want to do his best. "Then let's go, don't want to keep him waiting." She kindly replied, about to venture off towards their future when a sound split the air around them.

"That wasn't me," Pītā almost immediately stated, holding up his hands as Sakura eyed him suspiciously.

She responded almost as fast as he did, placing a hand on her waist to accentuate her point. "Wasn't me either, I just ate." Sakura informed him, drawing a nod from the acrobatic boy.

The duo slowly turned to the third and most troublesome member of their brand new team, witnessing Naruto holding his stomach in mild discomfort. "Ugh… oh, man… why is this happening today?!" He yelled; sweat amassing beneath his forehead protector as he doubled over.

The sounds coming from him, gargles and groans, there was no mistaking it… he'd eaten something he shouldn't have. "You okay there, buddy?" Pītā asked, about to approach the blonde but was taken aback when he bolted away in the opposite direction.

Both Sakura and her quick-witted friend were left speechless for a moment, sets of brown and green eyes watching a blur of blue and orange shrink into the distance. "You were saying?" The red clad girl questioned Pītā, earning a shrug of the shoulders in response.

"Guess he's having an off-day," the pre-teen muttered, turning around to join Sakura as she marched off towards the Academy and towards their future as ninjas of Konoha.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** As you might've guessed, it's a slow start but hey, this is simply the beginning. I just wanted to get a feel for it and see if you guys liked where the story is headed and what I'm doing with whole 'spider' aspect of Pītā's persona.

This is exciting, I don't think I've been this excited about something in a while (except for Fallout 4 and Jessica Jones, yay!). Anyway, let me know what you think or if you thought something didn't quite work, I'd really appreciate the feedback, anything to help me strengthen my writing. I appreciate it, thanks!


	2. Let's Talk About It

**Author's Note:** Hey guys, we meet again!

So, I'm really glad you guys responded so well to the first chapter as I had a blast writing it and finding the overall tone and style for it. I'm really enjoying this story and I'm excited to see just where I can take it, and what sort of things I can add to such an already rich franchise. The character of Spider-Man means the world to me, he's the embodiment of everything I aspire to be as a person and I thought he could really make a difference in the Narutoverse.

So whether you're a fan of Spidey or Naruto, or you even like the best of both worlds, I sincerely hope you guys enjoy the story I'm trying to tell with this world's Spider-Man. Thanks for the incredible support, guys!

 **Disclaimer:** Spider-Man and all related characters are owned by Marvel and in turn, Disney. Naruto and all related characters are owned by Masashi Kishimoto, I own nothing.

* * *

 **Let's Talk About It (Bell-Test Arc)**

Silence reigned in a moderately sized classroom, the same classroom that a certain trio of ninja had frequented for most of their adolescent years. The newly dubbed Team 7 were waiting, some patiently and others not so patiently, for the next big step on the long, winding journey to become legends in their own right.

Naruto Uzumaki, with his sunshine blonde hair and consistent mischievous grin, was the oddball of the pack. His fellow peers often deemed him a nobody, a class clown not even worth a second glance. While they strived to achieve greatness for the honour of their families and themselves, he was waiting in the wings with a stink bomb or a whoopee cushion, prankster by name and nature.

Though, unbeknownst to his classmates and new teammates, even to the boy himself, Naruto possessed one of the most closely guarded secrets in Konoha… possibly even the world. Naruto was the host, the very conduit, for the nine-tailed beast known simply as Kurama.

Twelve years prior, the kitsune demon had rampaged across Konoha, killing any and all Shinobi that dared stand against it. The tragic incident claimed many lives, including Naruto's own parents and had left behind a dark stain on the village's history. Only those with the right and privilege were in the know, such as the Hokage himself. But to even speak of the Nine-Tails and its sealing inside of Naruto was forbidden, for anyone.

Sakura Haruno was the more level-headed of the bunch, often the student to ask questions and dig around for answers… when she wasn't distracted by a certain dark haired rebel. Sakura's one weakness was her youthful and often misguided feelings for Sasuke Uchiha, a very talented albeit aloof Genin, belonging to the massacred Uchiha-Clan.

Despite it being nothing more than a schoolyard crush to those around her, it constantly clouded her judgement and her teammates were convinced that given the chance, she'd choose him over them any day of the week.

They were dreading the answer to that one…

And then there was Pītā Pākā, the very last in a long line of spiders. The twelve year old hailed from one of the most ancient bloodlines in the land, that of the Shukeikō-Clan. The clan was a family of ninjas with the abilities of an arachnid, strong and expansive hundreds of years prior. But it had thinned out, whittling away until only two remained.

Benji Pākā and his younger brother, Ryota. The two perished when they joined their fellow ninja of Konoha, attempting to fight off the colossal Kurama. But before the tragedy, Ryota had fathered a child with the Kunoichi, Mari Pākā née Fujioka. She too died fighting for her village and as such, a small baby Pītā was left in the care of the widowed Mei Pākā née Rairī.

Growing up, the boy was proud of who his parents were, who his uncle was, and understood that they gave their lives for the good of the village and so that he would have some semblance of a future. But that didn't mean he liked to talk about it, slowly developing a social tick of jokes and defensive humour, as some sort of regressive method of dealing with his parents' departure.

Just like Naruto, it took a special kind of person to learn how to laugh in the wake of such heartache.

"He's late," the bright blonde child informed his fellow teammates as if they weren't aware of the fact, his head darting from left to right as it was poking through the sliding door and out into the hallway.

Sakura sighed, her large forehead on clear display as her protector kept her pink bangs out of her field of vision. Her arms were folded over her chest, making sure she could account for them so they didn't accidentally knock Naruto into next week. She was leaning against one of the many empty desks in the classroom, the hollow wood providing a solid if slightly uncomfortable seat for her.

"We heard you the last forty seven times, Naruto. Now, please, for the last time… will you just sit down?" Sakura calmly put, her eyes firmly shut in minute contempt for the boy.

Naruto didn't bother looking at her or even in her general direction as he squinted down the hallway a couple more times for good measure, not amused in the slightest. "How come our guy's the only one that didn't get the memo? I can't just sit here and do nothing; my legs won't let me, believe it!" He reiterated, hands pressed against the polished wood of the door frame like glue.

Sakura bowed her head for a moment; there really was no reason to get angry with him. If he was anything like Pītā and she was sure there was a pretty good chance that was the case, then anger would only serve to fuel the fire.

Instead, she simply raised her head and nodded. "Okay, I believe it." Sakura answered dejectedly, though at her core, was just as frustrated with their new teacher's absence as the class clown was.

A voice piqued up, carrying over from the other side of the room. "Dude's got a point, pinkie. What do you think's got our new scout master playing hooky?" Sakura saw that Pītā had decided to join the conversation, though was comfortably sat perched on the wall opposite the door.

They were all getting a little bit impatient, a trio of twelve year olds could only be told to stay in the same place for so long. "That's none of our business, Pītā, you know that. We were asked to wait here and—and… is that a yo-yo?" Sakura queried, brow furrowed in mild confusion as to just what the spider-styled pre-teen was doing.

He was toying around with the yellow pass-timer, spinning it up and down a few times before he caught it and turned his brown eyes on his female teammate. "Oh, yeah… I have a yo-yo." The Shinobi shrugged, hiding the trinket inside one of his flak jacket's compartments.

Naruto was too busy scanning the hallway for any potential sign of their new sensei, but Sakura was a little too puzzled on the matter to simply drop it. "A yo-yo? Why on Earth would you have a yo-yo? Unless… oh! Is it some sort of hidden weapon? Like a decoy or—or a trick maybe, to throw off an opponent?" She pressed, wondering why a ninja would give up potential space for advantages in a fight for a simple children's toy.

Pītā once again shrugged, not finding the subject particularly interesting. "No… it's just a yo-yo, you know? I mean, it'd probably hurt if I just spiralled it at someone's head. I guess that counts as a weapon, right?" He supposed, prompting his Kunoichi ally to hold her finger and thumb to the bridge of her nose.

"Had to ask," Sakura mumbled to herself, while Pītā ran a hand through his thick brunette hair.

He was reasonably patient, especially for someone that could move the way he did. "Maybe he already came, managed to sneak a peek without us knowing and was so disappointed, he just left… okay, I'm upsetting myself just thinking about that." The comedian mused, eyes closing but conveying humour.

Sakura waved off his jest, raising a finger to make her point. "Jōnin are elite-level ninja, our new sensei's probably just preoccupied with some big important task… hopefully." She added meekly, the smallest part of her buying into Pītā's depressing theory.

The loud-mouthed member of the team nodded along, as if agreeing with her. "All too true, bubbleyum. But what if he just forgot to put his underwear on this morning? Not exactly what you'd call 'elite-ninja', huh?" The boy joked, earning a snicker from Naruto by the door.

"Good one," the blonde misfit congratulated, a verbal pat on the back for his friend.

Pītā nodded at him, before directing his gaze at a less than thrilled Sakura. "I thought so too," he muttered, a clear smile definable even beneath the mask covering his jaw.

Sakura watched him shoot his eyebrows up and down twice, as if begging for a response from her. "Idiots, the both of you. Jōnin don't forget to wear their… underwear," the pink haired girl trailed off, blushing at even the use of the word.

Pītā was about to raise a point before Naruto beat him to the punch, still facing away from the conversation but listening in just enough to take part. "Everyone forgets, Sakura." He chimed in, not noticing Pītā point at him and chuckle.

"See, he knows what's up." The kid insisted, though arched an eyebrow when Sakura closed her eyes and turned her attention away from him.

"You're both gross," she stated, straight up insulting them.

Pītā shrugged, not really seeing what the big deal was. "Duh, we're both guys." He reminded the Genin, prompting a roll of her emerald green eyes.

The pink haired Kunoichi was about to press the matter further, only for a distinct shuffling noise to halt their bickering in its steps. Pītā had arched an eyebrow, while Sakura whipped around after hearing the dreaded sound of Naruto laughing quietly.

The prankster was placing a blackboard eraser on top of the sliding door and its frame, the educational object hanging precariously, waiting for someone unlucky enough to walk below it. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me." Sakura murmured, earning a snort of humour out of the spider on the wall.

"I think that's the idea," he quipped, watching Naruto work his particular style of mischievous magic.

Sakura ignored the web-slinger for once, marching right up to the other prime target in the empty classroom. "Naruto!" She yelled his name, though was practically inches away from the orange and blue ninja, hands firmly on her hips as she glared at him fiercely.

The blonde Shinobi was too busy chuckling to himself to really pay her the attention she demanded, which only pushed Sakura even further over the edge. "You're just asking for trouble at this point… in fact, you're going to get all of us in trouble!" She bellowed, though her words fell on deaf ears as the demon host was too busy rubbing his hands together and waiting for the fireworks to start.

Sakura just felt even more insulted, folding her rather pale arms and seriously creasing her brow. "Ease up, 'mom', let junior have his fun." Came the smack-talking chime of Pītā's voice, serving its purpose of infuriating Sakura to no end.

She whipped around once more, the vain in her forehead practically throbbing with rage as she shook her fist at the super strong ninja. "I dare you to come down here and say that!" Sakura challenged, though failed to gage the response she wanted from the brunette boy.

Instead, he crawled along the wall and hit the ceiling, traversing the surface like it was second nature to him… because it really was second nature at this point. "Look, the gag's a good one, I'll give you that. But sourpuss over here is right, our new teacher's not gonna fall for that. If anything, he'll probably be insulted you even tried that." Pītā reasoned, agreeing with his female friend… though she shuddered in annoyance at yet another nickname.

Naruto was about to offer a counter-argument when a gloved hand pushed the door away from its frame, all three Genin shutting up within an instant as the eraser obeyed the laws of gravity and fell. It landed with a tap, just a light wooden tap, bouncing off of the newcomer's shockingly silver hair before hitting the floor unceremoniously.

The first to break the deafening and uncomfortable silence was Naruto, of course it was Naruto. The boy was brave enough to actually point and laugh at their new sensei, not even sparing a second's thought on the matter. Meanwhile, Sakura and Pītā's eyes darted towards one another, green meeting brown for a split second before gazing back at the incident unfolding before them.

The ninja was tall, dwarfing the three Genin in both size and stature. His hair was wild and untameable, poking through his forehead protector, just like that of Pītā's actually. He wore a padded moss green flak jacket, surrounded by the same dark blues that Pītā once again sported. Dark blue fingerless gloves decorated his hands, while a kunai holster was strapped to his right thigh. He wore a dark blue mask, only serving to cover up his jaw, one again like that of Pītā.

In fact, glancing from their new sensei to her talkative teammate, Sakura would've sworn that they were practically mirror images of each other. Slightly different mirror images, but the resemblance was incredibly striking to say the least. Though Pītā's chocolate coloured orbs conveyed what they always conveyed, pure and unfiltered focus, their new sensei's did not. With his forehead protector covering his left eye, his exposed one simply exuded vague interest at best.

He didn't look impressed with the trio of ninja he'd been given, his attention immediately zoning in on Naruto, the boy pointing and laughing at him. "He totally fell for it! So much for all that 'elite ninja' talk, huh?!" He mocked, voice giddy with a big dumb grin on his face.

"OhmyGodohmyGodohmyGod! We're so sorry, sensei! I tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen, I'd never do something as stupid as that!" Sakura gushed, blushing in sheer embarrassment.

Though if the sound of her heartbeat, picking up in speed as it thumped away, told Pītā anything, it was that she was lying through her teeth. The spider-powered Genin simply held his tongue for the time being, instead watching as the supposed Jōnin bent down to retrieve the blackboard eraser.

He studied it for a brief moment, before his lone eye flickered back up to the students in front of him. "I'm sure you're already well aware of this by now, but I think I'll say it anyway." The man spoke for the first time in what felt like years, several long and painfully silent years.

The tone of his voice was incredibly smooth, relaxed and even methodical. It conveyed a calmness that the three rookies weren't used to, as everything seemed to be so hectic in their young ninja lives. They waited in anticipation as he paused, probably for added effect just to make sure he had their attention, limited as it may have been.

Naruto actually managed to stop his ribs convulsing to listen for a moment and Sakura perked up, as if expecting some kind of compliment from their new sensei. Pītā seemed to be the only one out of the three of them to brace himself, because whatever was coming was not going to be a compliment.

"You're a bunch of idiots," the man dryly delivered, stunning Naruto and stupefying Sakura.

Pītā on the other hand, shrugged and ran a hand through his thick mane of hair. "You don't mince words, do you?" He responded with another one of his trademark witticisms, earning an unamused stare from the silver haired ninja in the meantime.

* * *

The sun had just about peaked in the clear blue sky; signifying noon had arrived for the Hidden Leaf Village of Konoha. While most, if not all of the other teams of Genin were almost definitely out on their first assignments, Team 7 was stuck sightseeing.

Not exactly leading the exciting, thrilling life of a ninja, the three rookies were sprawled out on the Academy's high-rise rooftop, getting quite a crystal clear view of the rest of the lower districts of the village. Their new sensei had yet to introduce himself, but Naruto, Sakura and Pītā had a funny feeling that he knew everything there was to know about them.

The man in question was leaning against the far red railing of the rooftop, his back just about creeping over the edge, several stories from the hard ground. Again, the three ninja couldn't really read him, as his vague and disinterested expression gave nothing away.

Both Naruto and Pītā were about to air their thoughts on the matter, say something, anything to interrupt the silent staring contest taking place between the students and their teacher, when the silver haired enigma beat them to the punch.

"Introduce yourselves, please. One at a time, try to speak clearly too. For some reason, you kids have a nasty habit of mumbling." He stated, not one hint of a change in his unreadable expression.

The blonde boy, his cheeks decorated with whisker-like birthmarks, threw a glance Pītā's way. The lightning fast Shinobi simply shrugged, not yet clear what to make of their new guide on the path of life.

Sakura spoke up before any of the chatter boxes could, a rare feat to be perfectly honest. "Don't you know everything about us already, sensei? You are our new teacher after all," she guessed, lighting up when she received a nod of the head from the masked ninja.

A nod of the head, still no movement from any of his facial features. "Indeed I do, Sakura. But I think I'll find it much more enlightening hearing it from you, rather than reading it from a scroll. A little more personal, wouldn't you say?" He asked her, putting the pink haired child on the spot for a moment.

Slightly put off by the fact that he clearly knew her name but she didn't know his, Sakura gave a shaky nod in agreement. "Umm… yes, sensei." She answered, but looked to her teammates for a little bit of support.

Naruto was quick to answer the call to arms, practically yelling at their sensei. "Hang on a minute; we don't know anything about you! How is it fair that you know everything about us when we don't even know your name?!" Seriously, Pītā had to rub his little finger into his ear due to the sheer volume of the outburst.

The Jōnin simply stared back at the spiky haired child; the child that he knew carried a terrible secret. "What he said, sensei… only with a lot less shouting." Sakura meekly added, with the only one of the trio remaining quiet ironically being the most talkative one.

Their mysterious teacher pointed to Naruto and the boy seized up slightly, probably anticipating some kind of punishment for raising his voice to him. "You're Naruto, correct?" He questioned, earning a hesitant nod from the brash child.

"You wish to know my name?" He once again queried, though brought his attention to Pītā when the last living spider couldn't keep his mouth shut.

He cut into the conversation like a knife through hot butter with; you guessed it, a joke. "Nah, we'd rather know your star sign." He shot back, folding his arms as his eyebrows rose a fraction.

The seasoned ninja simply responded by gazing at Pītā, and upon doing so, started to see the startling resemblance to himself. Having spent years out in the field, the man had a wealth of experience to fall back on and one of the things he'd learned was how to read someone. It didn't matter whether that someone was friend or foe; the silver haired question mark was rarely out of his depth.

When he took a look at Pītā, a proper look, he saw everything he saw in himself so many years ago. Unlike Naruto who was a little hard headed, and Sakura who seemed to be incredibly misguided, the man felt an air of confidence and certainty bounding off of Pītā. A confidence in his own abilities, both natural and unnatural. It was something that the other two would gain with age and maturity, but the man saw it… Pītā already had it.

"I'm Kakashi Hatake, and from this moment on, I'm your sensei. Whether that's permanent or temporary, we'll have to wait and see. Now that we've gotten that out of the way, please, go on and tell me a little bit about yourselves. Naruto, you first." Kakashi, which the three Genin now knew him as, shortly ordered but spoke in a friendly enough tone in order to ease up on the pressure.

Naruto nodded, seemingly satisfied that they were finally on some form of equal footing. "Happy to, sensei. Believe it, I'm Naruto Uzumaki and I like ramen. Any and all kinds of ramen, I'm not picky! I eat the instant ramen in a cup pretty much every day, but it doesn't even compare to the ramen at the Ichiraku Noodle shop! Iruka-Sensei took me there and let me tell you, it's the best ramen I've ever tasted!" This was the status quo for a solid few minutes as Naruto continued to ramble on and on about ramen, it was quite something actually.

Sakura was pretty much dumbfounded; staring slack jawed as Naruto flippantly listed anything and everything he liked about his favourite dish. The three students' new sensei, Kakashi, was fading in and out, his arms folded and the expression on his face growing vaguer and vaguer. It was almost as if he was waiting for someone to interrupt Naruto, perhaps not quite having the heart to do it himself as the boy seemed to genuinely want to share his personal feelings about the noodle soup.

Pītā placed a hand on Naruto's orange clad shoulder, earning a curious glance from the hyperactive child. "So, to sum up… you like ramen." He deadpanned, prompting a very eager nod from the blonde knucklehead.

Kakashi closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath before he released and finally managed to employ the gift of speech once again. "That was ramen—I mean, that was interesting. Thank you, Naruto. Now that I have some idea of what your daily diet consists of, perhaps you'd like to share something a little more personal. What's your dream, Naruto?" The elder and infinitely more experienced of the small group questioned, addressing the boy with his exposed eye.

Naruto gawked at the Jōnin, before darting his bluer than blue eyes towards brown and green ones. They both nodded, as if encouraging him to share and get it out in the open. Kakashi smirked beneath his mask, it was only a tiny thing, minute in its importance but it was a pleasant sight to see kids so young yet so understanding.

When talking about a person's dream, even just being in the general area to catch wind of it, laughing or speaking ill of said dream would've been one of the most disrespectful things a person could've done. Because sharing a dream was terrifying, pretty much baring your soul for the world to see and hoping that your dream wasn't stepped on in the process. It was easy for kids to act mean and poke fun, because that's just what kids did.

The three students were so different from one another, each one of them a complete contrast to the next. Naruto, Pītā and Sakura. Day, night and day, in exactly that order. Kakashi had honestly been expecting them to fight amongst themselves, and they would eventually, that's what friends did. But watching the Kunoichi and the Shinobi just sat in silence, waiting for Naruto to share was a very warm sight.

In truth, Kakashi initially thought the three were going to be pains in the neck, major pains in the neck. But in all honesty, they were really starting to grow on him.

Naruto set his gaze back on his sensei after feeling a renewed sense of security from Sakura and Pītā, people had often laughed at his dream, his desire for the future. And it tore him up, more than they could've possibly known.

He found himself smiling as he prodded a thumb to his chest, declaring his ultimate goal at the behest of his friends and teacher. "I want to be the greatest Hokage! Then the whole village will start respecting me and treating me like I'm somebody, somebody important!" Naruto expressed, earning a nod from the elite Jōnin.

"Setting the bar pretty high, I like that." Kakashi complimented, prompting Naruto's smile to widen and eventually split into a beaming grin.

He felt comfortable, completely safe and secure in such a friendly environment. The Academy had been tough on him, heck; his entire life had been tough on him for reasons not yet clear to the lad. But this, he could definitely see himself getting used to it.

Sakura was smiling politely; genuinely surprised that Naruto's aspirations were so great. If she could've used one word to describe the ninja, she would've gravitated towards 'slacker'. But the revelation shed new light on the boy, made things crystal clear and that despite his misgivings and goofy attitude, proved that he at least wanted to try.

And that was all anybody could've asked of anyone…

Kakashi set his sights on the only female of the mismatched trio, still leaning precariously against the red painted railing of the Academy's rooftop. "Sakura, would you like to share?" He gently inquired, prompting the young Genin to nod a little hesitantly.

It was scary, she knew that. But she wasn't fully aware just how scary it was; essentially summing up who you were in a few short words. But due to the encouraging looks of her teammates, Naruto returning the favour with a supporting smile, Sakura went ahead and shared her dream.

"Yes, sensei. My name is Sakura Haruno, and my dream is to become a great Kunoichi, like that of Lady Tsunade… wow, that was scary." She gingerly added, receiving a soft pat on the shoulder courtesy of Pītā and a thumbs up from Naruto.

He grinned, having learned something new and interesting about his friend and teammate. "You did great, Sakura." The bright blonde congratulated, receiving a wary smile in return.

Kakashi nodded along, concurring with the adolescent misfit. "Perhaps you'll achieve that goal under my tutelage, only time will tell. Now, last but certainly not least, the comedian… what's your dream, what do you want to become?" The silver haired Shinobi queried, watching as the boy in question sat in silence for a moment.

At first, Kakashi assumed that the heir to the once great Shukeikō-Clan was hesitant, a little shy of sharing such personal thoughts and feelings with anyone but himself. But pausing for a moment, having a proper look into those chocolate coloured eyes, Kakashi saw that it wasn't the case. The boy wasn't a little speechless; he was just trying to come up with the right words.

The man saw the cogs turning, the gears beginning to click and whir away as Pītā seemingly racked his brain for an appropriate answer. "Take your time, Pītā." Kakashi spoke, letting the boy know that he was in no rush for an answer.

Pītā saw, practically felt both blue and green eyes on him as he continued his hushed state of being. To their credit, neither Sakura nor Naruto pressured him to hurry up. It was actually a little surprising really; Naruto was notorious for his impatience and to see him be so subdued was a rare sight indeed. Kakashi simply figured that the boy was paying Pītā the same respect, something that the blonde recently revealed as being very important to him.

Sakura wasn't fully sure what was going through Pītā's head either; he was kind of hard to figure out. One minute, it'd be impossible to get him to shut up but then the next… this, just complete silence and tranquillity. As if his entire life had been leading up to such a moment, answer the question right or face the consequences.

She wouldn't admit it, but she was a little curious herself. What did someone like Pītā Pākā dream of? What sort of goals did he want to reach? What feats did he want to accomplish? And that was when it hit Sakura, she didn't have a clue. Not one clue, nary a shred of an idea as to what made the boy tick.

With all of his amazing gifts, she was fully aware that Pītā could—would go onto accomplish incredible things, there was no denying the obvious. But she still didn't know what drove him, and that intrigued her to no end.

Finally, Pītā spoke. "I don't want to be Hokage; I don't want to be great like Lady Tsunade… I don't want to become anything." He answered, stunning his friends to the point that neither of them were able to fully process what they had just heard.

Kakashi himself, admittedly, was little lost. "Then… what do you want to do, Pītā?" He followed up with another query, finding himself more interested than he would've liked to admit.

Pītā replied, pretty much instantaneously, without missing a beat. "I just want to help people," he simply said, no humour or childish silliness in his voice.

Just honesty, plain and simple. Kakashi accepted the answer, and would most likely never forget it. In all his years as a ninja, specifically the years he'd spent teaching and guiding students as a sensei, he'd never heard anything like it. And he saw that Pītā was having a hard time sharing such an answer, such a goal, such an aspiration. Because it was so unorthodox, because it wasn't a perfect answer, because it was full of holes and could've been torn apart by a million follow-up questions.

But Kakashi simply let it be, appreciating such honesty and such a noble cause. "That's… well, that's certainly an answer, Pītā … I'll have to remember that one." He remarked, noticing how hard a time Naruto and Sakura were having just trying to wrap their heads around it.

He cleared his throat, demanding the immediate attention of his two mentally preoccupied students. "There, that wasn't so hard now, was it? Think of that as our first experience as a team, we learnt something new about each other and nobody got bloody, I'd call that a win." Kakashi jested, closing his eyes in humour as Naruto, Sakura and Pītā exchanged proud smiles.

"But… that was more of a bonding exercise, what I have in mind for tomorrow will be something completely different." He spoke, the mirth in his eyes and tone diminishing to the point of non-existence.

All three students cautiously glanced at one another, not quite sure just what the Jōnin had up his dark blue sleeves. "Should we ask?" The brunette of the bunch suggested, a little wary all of a sudden.

Sakura seemed to share the sentiment, wearing a look that silently conveyed she didn't want to be the one to ask. "What sort of exercise did you have in mind, sensei?" Naruto spoke up, feeling brave enough to take anything on now that he knew his friends had his back.

Kakashi replied, finally pushing off of the railing and standing up straight. "It's a task that the four us shall do together, team spirit and all that." He stated flippantly, towering over his three students.

Pītā arched an eyebrow, glancing between his teammates on either side of him. "Well, that's a pretty broad statement." He commented, encouraging a nod from the pink haired girl of the bunch.

"Pītā's right, sensei. Could you be more specific?" Sakura requested, feeling confident enough to address the man but not quite on the same level of confidence she possessed when they were under Iruka-Sensei's tutelage.

Kakashi shrugged, stuffing both of his gloved hands in his pockets as he complied. "Survival exercise would be an appropriate term for it," he figured, his mind running through each and every test he had to offer.

Naruto scratched his wild blonde hair for a moment, before practically yelling a question his teacher's way. "Wait, when are we supposed to start real missions then?! If this was a test, and tomorrow's a test, what's the point of graduating from the Academy?!" The boy voiced his opinion, more like bellowed actually.

Pītā had to rub his little finger in his ear before he shook his head, throwing an annoyed glance Naruto's way. "Okay, that was right in my ear, dude." He dryly commented, prompting his fellow Shinobi to rub the back of his neck in embarrassment.

Kakashi answered the boy's outburst calmly, though mutely agreed that he could've stood to lower the volume. "This is nothing like your previous training; it's sort of funny actually. Well, I find it funny; you three might not get the joke." The man informed the trio before chuckling under his breath, surprising them greatly.

Because they hadn't actually heard him laugh since they'd met him, it'd been all business up to this point, not even a titter. Before the quiet laughing, Pītā was convinced that the guy didn't even possess a sense of humour, was unable to opt out of his default mode of 'blank slate'. But hearing it now, actually being subjected to his laugh… was just plain wrong.

Pītā cocked a thumb towards the Jōnin, who'd seemingly cracked himself up. "Anybody else a little creeped out right now?" He asked his friends, earning a rapid nod from Naruto.

Sakura was having a hard time tearing her eyes away from the laughing Shinobi, but managed to push words past her lips even despite her disbelief. "You can say that again," she barely mumbled, Pītā being the only one able to hear it.

Eventually, Kakashi calmed himself down long enough to start thinking straight once more, wiping a non-existent tear away from his lone exposed eye. "Ah, haven't laughed like that in a while, it's good to let it out." He expressed, drawing three blank stares from his students.

Naruto was the first to break, throwing his hands up in the air out of frustration. "Well?! Are you gonna let us in on the joke or not?!" He complained, brow furrowed as he glared at the mystery of a man.

Though Sakura and Pītā might not have been so rude, they too were wondering just what the heck was so funny. "It's a knee-slapper, but you three might not like what you hear." The silver-maned ninja reasoned, confusing his pupils to no end.

Pītā had to resist the urge to drag a hand through his hair, something he did when his nerves got the better of him. "We're not made of porcelain, sensei, we can take a joke." He commented, earning satisfied nods from his comrades, both male and female.

Kakashi shrugged, it was clear to him that they weren't going to drop the matter and preferred to be in the know on certain things. That was a good thing; he wasn't particularly fond of ninja that had no problem rushing into things blind. Knowledge was just as, if not more important than any form of power and he wanted his new students to see that, make the connections themselves.

The world outside of Konoha was vast and unforgiving, there were bandits waiting to cut their throats and steal their wares, rogue ninja looking to test their abilities on unsuspecting passers-by. It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, it wasn't a save the world, live happily ever after kind of story. Every single student he'd ever been given to teach, in all the years he'd been a sensei, had failed.

Not in general, most of them had been very promising ninja and Kakashi had been genuinely upset that he'd had to fail them. But he did what needed to be done; corners couldn't be cut in their distinct profession and every student he taught had failed to grasp one simple concept that was vital to surviving in such a harsh world.

Kakashi was hoping that he wouldn't have to fail another group of aspiring ninja, especially because he seemed to like these three. "All right, but don't say I didn't warn you. Of the twenty nine graduates, you three included, only eleven of you will actually be accepted as Genin. The left-overs will be weeded out and sent on their merry way back to the Academy, in other words, this is a make it or break it test. The chance that you'll fail is at least sixty six percent, so no pressure." He told them as straightforwardly as he could manage, watching their cocksure attitude simmer and die down as seconds passed by.

The trio of pre-teens were rendered speechless for a moment, unable to form coherent words as their minds drew a blank. It was something Kakashi had been expecting, it happened every single time. He'd be given a group of students, sometimes even the most gifted and full of potential group, and he'd drop some serious truth on them which would cause them to lose their nerve and stumble at the last hurdle.

Sad, really… but also necessary.

"Your silence speaks volumes, so I'll have to assume that you understand. That's how it is, I decide whether you pass or fail. No second chances, no do-overs. Have I made myself clear?" Kakashi questioned, giving his voice more of a hard edge in order to really grab their attention.

All three almost-Genin nodded, with Pītā managing to force a word past the lump in his throat. "Crystal," he muttered, satisfying his teacher greatly.

Kakashi was glad, seemed relatively pleased that they had at least begun to understand and recognize the gravity of the situation. Compared to what he had planned, the Academy was child's play and despite being just twelve years of age, children were forced to grow up fast in their world. Nobody questioned it, because it was simply the way it worked, had worked for centuries.

Though in Kakashi's own humble opinion, he actually believed teachings had gotten softer, that sensei had been much more lenient on their students. A quiet smirk played across his lips, hidden beneath the mask covering his jaw, as he considered telling his students that he had graduated the Academy at the mere age of nine.

The man shook his head though, it would've simply been bragging and there was a large possibility that their heads would've exploded. "Good, that's what I wanted to hear. We start tomorrow, be at the designated training area at five A.M sharp, no later. Bring your gear, bring anything you think you might need, you can never be over prepared." Kakashi informed the group as he pulled a hand from his pocket, gesturing for them to stand.

Naruto, Sakura and Pītā did just that, complying with their teacher and all standing in pretty much perfect sync. Kakashi gave them one final look over, his single eye scanning and scrutinizing them for anything more he might've missed the first time. The veteran of Konoha saw the anticipation on their still fresh faces, faces that hadn't yet been exposed to the life they were about to embark on.

No scars, no cuts or wounds, no bruises of any sort. They were still just children, but they were at that fragile point in their life just before the leap. Stuck in a sort of limbo, ready to grow up but not quite there yet. He nodded in silent satisfaction; he'd whip them into shape yet.

He didn't want to train a bunch of kids that thought they already knew everything; he wanted to train kids that were eager to learn and dig for all the answers. "That'll be all for now, kids, you're dismissed. Oh, but before I forget, try to skip breakfast. It might seem strange right now but you'll realize what I mean tomorrow, just a friendly piece of advice." Their elder offered, before giving a short wave goodbye.

Kakashi unceremoniously disappeared in a plume of smoke, leaving absolutely no trace of his whereabouts and his students alone to ponder the meeting that had just taken place. "Cool trick," Pītā flippantly remarked, finding his smack-talking voice in the wake of their sensei's departure.

Naruto simply stared at the spot Kakashi had been standing in mere seconds before, thoughts racing through his adolescent mind. "He's nothing like Iruka-Sensei," the blonde boy lamented, earning agreeing nods from both sides of the gender coin.

"But is that a good or bad thing?" Sakura murmured in an absent minded manner, having a hard time adjusting to their new guide on the tour of life.

After a moment or two of mute contemplation, the red-dressed Kunoichi turned to find her spider-themed friend stretching. He began by reaching for the cloudy blue sky high above them, before bending down and quite effortlessly touching his toes poking out of his sandals. Naruto had too joined Sakura in watching the spectacle, eyebrows quirked in a bewildered state of perplexity.

Finally, the boy with sledgehammers for fists caught wind of the eyes on him. "See something you like?" Pītā quipped, aiming the jab Sakura's way as she span around with rosied cheeks.

With her eyes firmly shut, she folded her arms over her chest and frowned. "You wish," the pink haired youth hit back, finding it extremely hard to just ignore him and be done with it.

The red and blue misfit chuckled, prodding Naruto with an elbow as if he were somehow in on the gag. "Every waking hour," Pītā jested, receiving nothing but a feminine huff out of Sakura in return.

Naruto scratched his spikey blonde hair, finding the boy to be an odd change of pace. "So… what do we do now? Get ready for tomorrow?" He questioned, not one hundred percent he had the right course of action in mind.

A firm hand found its way onto Naruto's orange clad shoulder, the blonde's ocean blue eyes following the dark and creased blue sleeve covering an arm, all the way back to the owner. "Sounds like a plan, whiskers." Pītā concurred, earning a raise of the eyebrows from the demon host

He quickly found himself glancing in Sakura's general direction, as if looking for some kind of clarification. "It's just this thing he does with… stupid nicknames and stuff, it's better to just ignore it." The girl advised the former class clown, she knew full well that questioning it would just lead to a severe headache, courtesy of one Shukeikō-Clan heir.

Pītā darted from one shoulder to another, moving faster than the human eye could follow as he reappeared by Sakura. "So, up for a little roughhousing, Haruno?" He queried, startling the pink haired child for a moment with his small show of inhuman speed.

She shuddered slightly, resisting the urge to smack him upside the head as he would've no doubt dodged it. "Anytime, anywhere, Pākā." Sakura replied, fists resting on her hips as she span around to face the evasive ninja.

Naruto pumped his fist in excitement, though just managed to remember that his teammate was a girl. "Don't worry, Sakura, we'll go easy on you so we don't hurt you." He assured her, just like a gentleman would in such a situation.

Sakura halted her stare off with Pītā, emerald eyes leaving chocolate, to whip around and face Naruto. "What's that supposed to mean?! That just because I'm a girl, I'm not strong enough to fight you?! Huh, is that it?!" She seethed, waving a fist at Naruto as the boy immediately regretted his poor choice of words.

Sakura blinked, and Pītā was already standing in front of her, blocking her prime target from view with a cocked eyebrow. "Easy there, half-pint. You know that's not what he meant; blondie's just being nice enough to consider your well-being. It defeats the whole concept of training of course, but… well; it's the little things that count." The brunette reasoned, defending the boy from what was sure to be a severe head injury.

Naruto managed to relinquish himself from his braced positon, something he always did when Sakura lashed out. "What he said, I was just looking out for you is all." The boy summed up the courage to agree with Pītā's words, thankful that he'd spared him the Kunoichi's wrath.

Sakura exhaled, almost blowing steam out of her nose in the meantime as she prodded Pītā's solid, immovable chest. "Fine… but I don't wanna hear any more about 'going easy on me', got it?" She demanded, looking over Pītā's shoulder to hammer the point home to Naruto as well.

He nodded profusely, throwing up a thumbs up for good measure, just to show that everything was cool. "No going easy on you, got it." Naruto grinned, not exactly instilling Sakura with brimming confidence.

Pītā was quiet for a second, his brown orbs darting between a nervous Naruto, sporting a Cheshire cat-like smirk and a glaring Sakura, scanning him as if she knew he was about to say something wrong, make a bad move. The red and blue clad arachnid sighed, holding the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger.

The lad really had struck gold with such a team, he had a girl that was simply way too touchy for her own good and a boy that no matter what he did or intended to do, seemed to aggravate everybody with his mere presence. Quite a conundrum for a kid who figured himself to be a regular comedian, therapy might've been the best choice to solve his problem.

"Look, we all know the score, all right? Sakura wanted to be partnered up with the number one brooder but for whatever reason, that ain't happening. Naruto, you… well, I'm still trying to figure you out so I'll have to get back to you on that. But my point is, this isn't what any of us had in mind, okay?" Pītā blabbed, earning the immediate attention of both subjects of his outburst.

Predictively, Sakura was the one most offended by Pītā's brand of brutal honesty. "Oh yeah? What about you, funny boy? Where do you stand on the disaster that is this team?" She grilled, standing up to the taller Shinobi with a finger pointed directly in his face.

Chocolate coloured eyes took a moment to study the finger, almost crossing in the process, before Pītā brought his own finger up and gently pushed Sakura's digit away from his face. "Forgetting something, gumdrop? I'm not even supposed to be here, I was never supposed to be enrolled at the Academy, remember?" The spider reminded the girl, watching as the realization dawned on her and she blushed because of it.

"Oh… right… I—kinda forgot about that," Sakura admitted, her fair skin turning a shade of light pink for a split second.

Naruto seemed to be the only one out of the loop, though he was out of the loop on a lot of things admittedly. "I don't get it, forgot about what?" The secret host of the Nine-Tails questioned, glancing from the short girl to the tall boy.

Sakura was busy saving face out of the fact that she had overreacted once again and by all intents and purposes, made a slight fool of herself in the process. She held her tongue, not wanting to drop herself in it any more than she had done but noticed Pītā shoot his eyebrows up and down twice, as if telling her to explain things to Naruto.

She faced the energetic blonde as Pītā looked on, eager to see just what she knew and remembered. "Being a member of the Shukeikō-Clan, Pītā was supposed to be trained within the clan itself by an elder member. Because of their unique powers, spiders can only be trained by other spiders. In fact, they were very adamant about it but… no-one knows why. It's been that way for centuries, Naruto. Until—" Sakura was cut off as Pītā took the opportunity to speak up, addressing the boy himself.

"Until now… now, it's a whole new ball game." The twelve going on thirteen year old added, watching him absorb the information he'd just learnt.

Naruto nodded, understanding every word but actually finding himself with a lingering question. "Why?" He queried, completely innocent in its delivery.

Pītā shrugged, though Sakura held a look of unease as even she knew full well why. "Because… there are no more spiders, I'm the last one. Disappointing, I know." The boy poked fun at himself, encouraging a smile out of both individuals present.

Pītā felt a hand rest on his tense shoulders, and he found himself on the receiving end of a Naruto grin. "Well, now you're stuck with us. Right, Sakura?" He mocked in good fun, actually managing to coax an agreeing nod out of the short tempered Kunoichi.

She refrained from mimicking Naruto's friendly gesture, but smiled all the same. "Right," she simply said, tensions dropping and the air clear between them all once again.

Pītā appreciated the show of good faith, but backed out of Naruto's hand to head towards the Academy roof's edge. "All right, enough with the circle jerk. Don't we have some training to do?" The unusually acrobatic boy threw the question his friends' way as they joined him, their toes practically dangling over the edge.

Naruto once again felt a grin split his face, getting giddy just thinking about taking one more step closer to his ultimate dream. "Kakashi-Sensei's not gonna beat himself, believe it!" And with that, the boy unceremoniously jumped from the rooftop.

Sakura leapt after him, landing on a nearby lower rooftop, rolling to absorb the impact as she went. "Naruto, slow down! You're gonna end up breaking your neck at this rate!" She called after him, watching the orange ball of energy dart ahead and make the jump over a narrow alleyway.

Pītā witnessed them disappear out of sight as he stood there, a clear view of the entire village from the Academy's vantage point. It wouldn't take long to catch up with them, a second or two of web-slinging would've done the trick and then some. He was about to take the leap when he halted himself, glancing behind him to see the Academy's rooftop access.

Focused brown eyes scanned the door a good several feet away, before they narrowed as if suspecting something. After a few moments of a tense staring contest with absolutely nothing, Pītā quirked his head, like that of an acute animal that had just heard a clear noise. He watched and waited, yet the tell-tale tingle of his most powerful ability never reared its head.

The spider-sense, one of his clan's oldest and most valuable secrets. One of the many reasons why a spider was not allowed to be trained outside of the clan, for risk of the spider-sense being exposed. Pītā didn't know what it was, didn't know why it was such a well-kept secret but he knew that it was looking out for him. And he wasn't going to turn his back on the ways of his clan, even with them being gone. He'd take the secret to the grave with him, even if it meant that not just the spider-sense, but the future of his kind died with him.

Clearing the cobwebs from his constantly thinking mind, Pītā finally took his eyes off of the roof's door, choosing to just let it go and make a powerful leap off of the building's edge. He cleared two, four, almost six rooftops with ease, before he started to descend. The spider lashed out an arm, and made an odd but immediately recognizable hand sign, absolutely synonymous with the Shukeikō-Clan.

A strand of silvery silk bolted from his wrist and just like that, he was swinging through the mismatched architecture of Konoha. The red and blue colours, easily identifiable as a spider, shrank into the distance until finally disappearing out of sight, no doubt joining up with his conflicting teammates in preparation for the following day.

Back on the Academy's rooftop, Kakashi finally stepped out from behind the door leading into the building, not at all surprised that Pītā had been the one to notice his presence. "We'll see," he mumbled just under his breath, talking to nobody but himself and referring to God knows what in the meantime.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I know it may seem like you've seen all of this before, but the meeting of Kakashi and the bell test in general is very important to the beginnings of Team 7's story. Things are a little more in-depth and I wanted to explore a little bit about each member of Team 7 and their new sensei, so I hope you guys can hang in there until we start breaking some new ground and really get moving.

Next chapter will be a different take on the bell test, until next time!

 **Guest Reviews:**

 **Aztec 13:** Glad you're into it, there will definitely be appearances from characters in Spider-Man's little slice of the Marvel Universe, so it's pretty probable that villains will turn up to trouble Pītā.

 **Guest 1:** Glad you're on-board, pal!

 **Guest 2:** Romance will be a part of the story, I'm not sure who yet but it'll develop a little more in the future. If you want to suggest a pairing, be my guest, by all means.

 **Somewhatevil:** I understand and appreciate your concern about Pītā's name, but it's something I gave a lot of thought. Peter doesn't make sense because it's a western name, Ishi is actually feminine and changing Pītā's name would change his character too. Names mean entirely different things in different cultures and languages, so I like to think that instead of Pītā meaning stone like Peter, it can mean something more like 'steadfast or resolved', you know? Glad you're into the story though.


	3. Ring-A-Ding-Ding

**Author's Note:** Strap yourselves in, this is a long one!

Okay, so I might have gone a little bit overboard with the bell test but I really love detail in the things I read, so I like to replicate it in the things I write. I don't like stories that are simply dialogue with little to no descriptive qualities, you know? It has to feel immersive, it has to feel real enough to care about and really invest in. Okay, so I might not be making any sense right now, but don't worry about it.

Anyway, I finished this chapter for you guys and I really hope you enjoy it. Thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** Spider-Man and all related characters are owned by Marvel and in turn, Disney. Naruto and all related characters are owned by Masashi Kishimoto, I own nothing.

* * *

 **Ring-A-Ding-Ding (Bell-Test Arc)**

"Pītā! Pītā Pākā!" A mature, feminine voice called out, echoing throughout the entire Pākā household.

Mei Pākā waited patiently at the bottom of a creaky, wooden staircase, leading up to the second floor of the house. The woman was blonde, her golden locks flowing down to the middle of her back and possessed crystal blue eyes. She was in her late thirties, but didn't look a day over twenty and received apt attention from a good number of admirers in the village.

But looking over at one of the pictures hanging in the long hallway, she conceded that there had only ever been one man for her. "I'm up, I'm up!" The widowed woman heard through the ceiling, as loud and clumsy footsteps crashed and banged around.

She folded her arms over chest, waiting for her nephew to come into view, hearing the sliding of his bedroom door. "It's four am… why is it four am and what am I doing up this late… early… whatever." An exhausted Pītā tiredly questioned, yawning heavily as he descended the stairs… on the ceiling.

Mei had to refrain from face palming before she replied, her eyebrows narrowing in annoyance. "How many times are we going to have this argument, Pītā? Off the ceiling, now." She ordered him, watching him rub his eyes profusely as he shrugged.

With a quick movement, even as tired as he was, Pītā's bare feet left the ceiling. "I don't boss you around," he muttered, landing deftly like it was the most natural thing in the world.

His guardian scowled at him, as if wordlessly telling him to watch his attitude. "Sorry, Aunt Mei, not exactly a morning person." Pītā meekly responded, moving past his sometimes scary aunt to head down the hallway.

Mei followed after him, noticing him drag his adhesive feet along the floor. "I can see that, you look like you've been hibernating up there." She mocked, drawing a completely unintelligible groan from the lad.

He shuffled into the kitchen, his motions sloppy as he pulled out a chair at the kitchen table. "Breakfast?" Pītā asked, not seeing any dish prepared at the table or being able to smell anything cooking in the air.

Mei sat down opposite him, an expectant look on her face as Pītā eyed her in confusion. "You know, I didn't think you'd forget but I guess he proved me wrong." She cryptically stated, bringing Pītā out of his sleep drunk stupor inch by inch.

He scrunched his eyebrows up, as if she'd just presented some kind of riddle to him. "What? Who proved you wrong? Am I still unconscious?" Pītā jested, his dull eyes slowly adjusting to waking at such an early hour.

His aunt saw that he was coming around, so she wouldn't have to deal with the grouch that replaced Pītā every morning. "Your new sensei, Kakashi. He dropped by, woke me up at three am to do it, but wanted to let me know that I wasn't allowed to let you eat any breakfast. Strange man, very—" Mei was about to describe him but found herself cut off by increasingly acute Pītā.

"Vague about everything?" He queried, expectant eyes and raised eyebrows waiting for an answer.

Mei provided one with a quick nod, already used to how impatient Pītā could be. "It was like he answered my questions with even more questions," she related, looking on as her spider-powered nephew leaned his head back and groaned.

The woman that raised him knew full well how straightforward Pītā was and preferred other people to be, it was one of the many reasons they got on so well. They were both straightforward kinds of people, never to dance around a subject for too long because it simply wasted everybody's time. And talking to Pītā's new sensei had hit that point home for her; she simply discussed a few things with him for a few minutes.

It must have been killing Pītā to have such a mysterious and enigmatic teacher, the boy had a constant thirst for knowledge and not the kind of knowledge that spoke of patience, virtue and finding one's self but actual, tangible, logistical knowledge. That was simply the kind of person her nephew was, he didn't look for the whys, he looked for the hows.

"Sounds about right," Pītā mumbled, staring ahead at his aunt only to find her on her feet and bringing him a refreshing glass of milk.

Mei reassumed her seat as Pītā downed the white beverage, a satisfied smile etched into his features. His loving guardian was about to continue the conversation, when an unceremonious knock came at the front door of the Pākā household. Mei arched a curious eyebrow, while her nephew simply shrugged as he removed himself from his seat.

The blonde thirty something watched as Pītā pulled the loose dark blue fabric hanging around his neck up, and his mouth and nose were gone, just like that. "For you or for me?" Mei questioned, knowing full well that Pītā knew who was at the door.

Not because he was expecting someone, but because he heard them standing on the other side of the wooden barrier, just being alive. The boy could hear whoever it was breathing slow and steady bouts of oxygen, could hear their heart thump away in a consistent rhythmic melody. Mei didn't question it, hadn't since he'd displayed his powers at a very young age.

And suddenly, the thought of young baby Pītā crawling along the ceiling before learning to walk brought back exhausting memories of sleepless nights. "For me," the adolescent spider claimed, before moving around the table towards his aunt.

She perked up as for once, her all over the place nephew hadn't forgotten to bid her goodbye. "I'll kick some butt in your honour," Pītā mocked, pulling his dark blue mask down to peck her on the cheek.

Mei smiled as she watched him leave, as growing up; Pītā had always had a hard time showing affection. Because he was just so flippant about everything, and rarely shared his feelings with anyone. But she seemed to be the only exception, the woman that raised him never failed to get him to open up and act like a regular kid.

"Love you too, kiddo." She let him know, rising out of her seat at the kitchen table to start her own day.

* * *

Outside of the Pākā home, situated directly underneath her parents' apartment actually, was one freezing pink haired Kunoichi. Sakura hadn't been crazy over the idea of getting up so early, just like she hadn't liked the idea of knocking on Pītā's door.

'It'll be nice to walk with your friend', her mother had insisted.

'You two used to be so close', she'd remind her.

And they had been close, once upon a time. Before she'd managed to grow up and think rationally, Sakura used to spend quite a lot of time around Pītā. She'd tell herself that it was just because their parents were friendly with one another, or that it was simply because they weren't allowed off their road at the tender age of five, save for the Academy.

But then Sakura recalled just why she stopped playing with Pītā, stopped being friends with Ino too. Those days were before a certain dark haired heartthrob entered her life, before she even knew who Sasuke Uchiha was. Before she threw away every competent thought in her head and started to pursue the boy, it was all about him as soon as he waltzed into the picture.

That was a tough image to let go off, Sasuke waltzing toward her before offering his hand, right in front of her, right for the taking. A dreamy smile found its way to her face, and she clasped her hands together in the hopes that it might one day become a reality.

And then she almost jumped out of her skin, almost suffered an enormous heart attack, when something hit the ground with the subtlety of a bull in a china shop, literally right behind her. With her hand clutching her chest, Sakura whipped around with grinding teeth, finding… no, she'd been expecting him to just be standing there like nothing was wrong.

Like nothing had happened, like he was at no fault for the action. "You seem a little jumpy," Pītā Pākā spoke, a smug smile clearly visible on his lips, even underneath his damn mask.

Sakura knew what he was doing; he knew what he was doing. He was being his smart-aleck self and claiming innocence, hands stuffed in his pants pockets and mischief dancing in his brown eyes. The girl had to compose herself, just one action, one perfectly timed sentence and he had already nearly flown her into a red coloured rage.

It was almost like an art form for him, a new challenge every day.

'What can I do to annoy the heck out of everyone today?' She bet he'd ask himself, rubbing his hands together like some kind of maniacal villain in a fairy tale.

'Or better yet, how can I bug the hell out of Sakura today?' Even imagining the boy planning every stunt he'd ever pulled on her was infuriating in itself, she needed to meditate or something.

Twelve years old and already stressed out beyond belief, Pītā and Naruto both were going to take years off of her expected lifespan. "I thought I told you to knock that off," Sakura spoke through the slight space in her gritted teeth.

Pītā cocked his head, looking at her as the rest of the village seemed almost dead at such an early hour. "You're the one who came calling, could've saved yourself a nervous breakdown had you not bothered." She almost couldn't believe him, somehow twisting the situation in such a way that made her fault.

She narrowed her eyes at him, those soft green eyes that betrayed the anger boiling beneath the surface. "I thought I was being nice, Pītā." Sakura responded, ready to punch him so hard, he'd end up seeing stars.

He moved by her, leaving his front door with a laugh. "Well aren't you just a basket of kittens," the arachnid mocked, expecting her to follow him soon after.

Sakura sighed, heavily debating whether she was mentally and psychologically ready to be on a team with an incessant prankster and a boy that was the master of getting under someone's skin. "You're lucky we're teammates, bug boy." She mumbled, though heard Pītā chuckle some distance away as she followed after him.

Pītā turned his gaze towards the shorter girl as she caught up with him and matched his slow and steady pace, strolling in the general direction of the other third of their team's apartment building. "Luck… I have a sort of strained relationship with luck," he addressed her with a surprisingly cynical response.

Sakura seemed sceptical but piqued up anyway, she seemed interested for the most part. "Yeah… how so?" She asked, watching the boy raise his eyebrows and laugh.

"In that it's always bad," he answered, clearly finding his words humorous but actually telling nothing but the truth.

Sakura nodded, by some miracle managing to forget about the irritation she had felt towards the superhuman Shinobi. "They say everything happens for a reason, Pītā." She imparted a slice of wisdom on her comrade, though wasn't fully sure whether she believed it herself.

As if he were somehow able to read her mind, Pītā tested her on the matter. "And you buy that? That everything's pre-determined? On some kind of fixed path? Also, more to the point, who's 'they'?" He pressed, noticing Sakura's emerald eyes glance away.

She appeared to be in deep thought, and rightly so too. It was a tough question, an old and common question. Was there such a thing as fate? Could people actually make choices in their life or did everything go according to some kind of plan? Some kind of grand design that couldn't be changed or altered?

Sakura honestly didn't know what she believed, she was twelve and it wasn't everyday someone casually questioned her entire belief system. "This is getting a little too deep for me," she meekly admitted, prompting a genuine laugh out of her companion.

The brunette rubbed the back of his head, shrugging in the meantime. "Sorry, I kind of tend to lose my mind this early in the morning… how do people even function so early? There doesn't seem to be anyone else around, maybe people aren't supposed to operate without a certain amount of sleep. What do you think?" Pītā rambled incoherently, slowly spinning around and taking in the sights of the so-called ghost town.

Sakura had trouble actually listening to him, fading in and out of the nonsense that continued to flow out of his mouth. "I think you should stop talking," she mocked, a little tired but still able to add a hint of humour to her voice.

Pītā's eyebrows shot up but he smiled despite it, he didn't mind if somebody was honest with him. "You're a real peach, you know that?" He jested, watching turn to him and smirk.

"Cherry blossom actually," she shot back, actually managing to joke around with the wall-crawler.

Pītā was a little stunned for a moment; it could've either been Sakura willing to pal around with him or the fact that she had been so quick with her response. "Touché, Haruno." He congratulated, smirking at the proud smile she held on her face.

* * *

The duo found themselves standing outside of Naruto's apartment door, the male of the two leaning against the wooden barrier as Sakura knocked. They waited in silence, Sakura trying to keep her eyes on the plan brown of the door as Pītā chose to continuously stare at her. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes but immediately brought her attention back to the door, like a magnet zoning on a piece of metal, when Pītā winked at her.

He must have been bored, trying to see if he could start an argument just for the sake of having it out with her. "Naruto! Hurry up and open the door!" Sakura yelled, as she proceeded to bang on the door like a crazed lunatic.

Pītā left his relaxed stance and moved away from the door, his enhanced hearing unable to pick up any form of sound on the other side. "He's not coming, probably still wrapped up in his bed sheets. Though how he slept through that little display is beyond me, sounded like a gorilla beating another gorilla half to death." He spoke, not exactly using the most flattering terms in reference to his teammate.

She turned to him, hands balled into fists as she'd given up on the door. "Just give me a reason, Pākā." Sakura warned him, emerald eyes narrowed and voice dripping with subdued anger.

Pītā stuffed his hands back into his pockets, spinning around and leaving her stood at Naruto's front door. "I plan to, buttercup." He snarked back, rendering her clueless for a moment.

"Wait, you're leaving? All three of us are supposed to meet up with Kakashi-Sensei, what are you doing?" Sakura called after him, watching him stroll further and further away.

He was just about to turn a corner, when he replied. "Improvising, don't worry about it." The distinct red and blue of his spider ensemble disappeared from sight as he turned a corner, leaving the red-dressed Kunoichi all by her lonesome.

Seconds passed before Sakura began to hear movement on the other side of the door, with curiosity swelling up inside her, she pressed her ear against the solid yet cold material. The door unceremoniously swung open and Pītā Pākā quirked an eyebrow, wondering what the heck the girl was doing.

"Eavesdropping on someone?" The brunette web-slinger queried, watching with subtle mirth as Sakura composed herself.

But then she realized that she hadn't done anything wrong, and Pītā had been the one to break into Naruto's apartment. "What are you doing?!" She whispered but somehow raised her voice at the same time, it was really weird.

Pītā shrugged, not seeing what the big deal was. "Improvising, I literally told you not to worry about it like six seconds ago." He explained, though it didn't do anything to help the situation.

She leaned into the apartment and gripped the front of Pītā's red flak jacket, attempting to remove him from the crime scene. "Get out of there! You can't just barge into another person's house uninvited! That's illegal!" Sakura once again whispered angrily, though found herself unable to move Pītā a single inch.

Instead, he opted to lightly grip her arm before pulling her inside. "Oh, give me a break. You said it yourself; all three of us have to be there. The kid's asleep; he's not getting up anytime soon. Should I have busted down his door instead? Or would you just scream at me louder?" He mocked, moving past the extremely uncomfortable girl to head into the kitchen of the place.

Sakura was having something of an internal crisis, she knew Pītā was right but didn't exactly agree with his methods. "Okay, fine—let's just… just wake him up and let's go already." She conceded, rubbing the exposed skin of arm in slight discomfort.

Pītā was too busy having a good look around to really pay heed to what she was saying, he strolled over to the kitchen and found an open milk carton, just sitting there in the open. The Genin-in-training arched an inquisitive eyebrow before he picked the carton up, bringing it close enough to his nose to get a good whiff of the beverage.

He immediately recoiled, almost dropping the milk in the process. "Ugh! That's—that is disgusting! How long has this been sitting out?! That's not milk, it's practically cheese now!" Pītā had to bring his fist to his mouth, the urge to gag growing exponentially.

Sakura felt queasy herself and she hadn't even been the one subjected to the scent, but judging by Pītā's outburst, she guessed it didn't smell of roses. "At least that solves the mystery of his stomach problems," she mumbled, offering the suffering spider some sort of silver lining.

"He's been drinking this for how long? Has he seen a doctor lately? How is he even still breathing?" Pītā joked, not bothering to put the milk back as it had long since expired.

Instead, he opted to do Naruto a favour and dropped it in the trashcan by the kitchen sink. "Now can we go?" Sakura pestered him, but this time, Pītā reluctantly agreed.

He moved past her to find a long bedroom door, slightly ajar but nothing was visible on the other side. Even Pītā with his enhanced senses could not see in the dark, so he diligently pushed the door open bit by bit. It creaked and Sakura instinctively flinched, earning a muffled laugh from the brunette by her side.

She elbowed him hard in the arm but also cursed when it hurt her more than it did him, glaring at the lad as she rubbed her elbow as if it were somehow his fault. Pītā didn't even seem to notice the contact, crossing the threshold and moving into Naruto's bedroom to find the unconscious blonde snoring away in bed.

Luckily for Sakura, Pītā didn't have to cover her eyes as Naruto was lounging in a white shirt and blue shorts. Actually, to the girl's surprise, Naruto's room wasn't as messy as she'd expected it to be. The only real stand out thing was a few piles of bowls and discarded chopsticks on his dresser, but that was honestly to be expected considering his near obsession with ramen.

Pītā picked up the boy's bedside clock, and found himself shaking his head. "No wonder he's out, his clock's broken. Alarm's set but the hands are stuck… wow, I actually thought he just forgot about today." The boy admitted, though was pleased that it wasn't Naruto's fault.

Sakura joined Pītā in quite possibly the weirdest moment of her entire life, standing over a sleeping Naruto after breaking into his home. "So… how should we do this exactly?" She whispered, still a little miffed at Pītā for not bothering to.

He didn't see the point, the kid was out like a light and if Sakura's assault on his door wasn't going to wake him then nothing was. "Well, you seem to be pretty adept with the whole 'loud' thing. Why not just scream in his ear? I'll pin him down just in case his brain explodes and you just really let him have it, then—" Pītā blabbed, was about to keep going if Sakura hadn't interrupted him.

"Stop talking, stop talking right now." She practically ordered him, prompting Pītā to quickly zip it.

He rubbed the back of his head, trying to figure out some other way to wake the boy. "I could just slap him awake," Pītā reasoned, though quickly found Sakura gripping his hands as though he were actually about to do it.

She was right in his face, voice still hushed but taking a turn for the worse. "Are you insane? Seriously, do you have something psychologically wrong with you? You are not slapping him; with your freaky spider-strength you might just slap his head off his shoulders." Sakura pointed out, hurriedly shoving Pītā back towards the door.

He raised a finger, trying to come up with some sort of point to hit back with. "Well, not intentionally, no but… that is a valid concern, yes." The almost thirteen year old relented, only moving because he let her move him.

Content that Pītā wasn't going to possibly kill a member of their team, Sakura turned away from him and back towards a still slumbering Naruto. "I'll handle this, okay? I'll wake him up, he can get dressed and then we can finally head out to meet Kakashi-Sensei. Just stay there, don't move a single muscle." The fair skinned girl ordered the acrobatic Shinobi, unable to see him fold his arms and roll his brown eyes.

Ever so slowly, both out of sheer awkwardness and not wanting to scare Naruto awake, Sakura nudged his arm. "Naruto… you need to wake up," she spoke in a somewhat soft tone, slightly betrayed by her growing impatience on the matter.

He seemed to stir a little bit, stupefying Pītā for a moment. The kid was actually responding to Sakura's voice, like he could hear it even when unconscious. Even Sakura was a little caught off-guard herself, the boy could sleep through an earthquake but was susceptible to her quite tone.

She tried her luck again, shaking his arm a little a harder this time. "If you don't get up, we'll be late, Naruto. You won't be able to become a ninja… no Hokage hat for you," he stirred louder, shifting around in his bed as Sakura frowned.

She glanced back at Pītā, wondering what on Earth they should try next. "Man, this is painful to watch… we're getting ramen, whiskers!" Pītā abruptly yelled, shocking Sakura but rousing a sleeping Naruto.

"Ramen! Where?!" He shouted, causing Sakura to leap back in fear.

She was steadied by Pītā, who seemed to be on the verge of full-on laughing. With her hand clutching her heart, Sakura had to wonder just why she had been stuck with two of the biggest idiots on the planet, as that had been the second time in the space of an hour she had almost had a heart attack.

Naruto rubbed his eyes, clearing away the fatigue as he unexpectedly found his two friends standing in his room. "Pītā, Sakura… what are you two doing here? Am I still dreaming? Because Sakura's usually here but Pītā being here… well, that's a first." The clueless jinchūriki blurted out, pushing Pītā over the comedic edge.

He doubled over as Sakura stood there, staring at a confused Naruto with a deadpan expression. "What's so funny?" The spikey haired child inquired, total innocence and perplexity on the matter.

The girl of the trio, meanwhile, was really starting to resent whoever thought it had been a good idea teaming her with the class clown and the resident self-proclaimed funny boy. "I hate you both," she murmured, ignoring the puzzled stare of Naruto and the incoherent howling of Pītā.

* * *

Sunrise had yet to break as the trio finally managed to reach their desired destination, the lack of sunlight ensured the forest around them held a dim and moody hue. After having quite the morning, the rookies were relatively alert. Naruto had been practically yelled at to get dressed for the test; Sakura wasn't in the best of moods for whatever reason and Pītā… well, Pītā simply stood with his arms folded, sharply watching the trees around them as though he were expecting something.

And so, they waited. They had no clue where their new sensei was or what was taking him so long, but he had told them to meet up at this exact spot, in a large clearing surrounded by towering pine and oak trees. Irritant seconds turned into painful minutes, and before long, the team had been waiting there for several hours.

Just how many hours were unclear to them, none of them were wearing a watch. But the sun had risen a few hours after they had arrived, so they assumed they'd been waiting long enough. All Pītā had to do was take one look at his friends and drowsiness almost began to set in for him too, Naruto was practically falling asleep, fading in and out of consciousness as he muttered something about ramen. Sakura on the other hand, was trying to keep herself awake, the skin beneath her eyes darkening as she yawned every now and then.

Pītā suppressed his yawn, blinking rapidly as he couldn't deny a perfectly natural reaction. Yawning was contagious, he just had to think about yawning and he already felt like he was going to collapse. Even he, with his superhuman abilities, needed an appropriate amount of sleep. He was actually contemplating going back to bed after the whole test was over, celebrate passing it with some much needed rest.

Finally, as Team 7 were on the brink of passing out, Pītā heard movement in front of him. His eyes fluttered open and he found himself still standing, with his arms folded and everything. The boy had no clue as to when he'd fallen asleep; in fact, he barely remembered what he did just a few hours earlier.

Their sensei, the silver haired Jōnin known as Kakashi Hatake, strolled up to the trio with his hands hidden in his pockets. Once again, just like the previous day, his expression remained unreadable. His one exposed eye scanned the three students, and he found pretty much what he expected to find.

All three of them, barely tethered to reality as their eyes refused to stay open. "Lovely morning, wouldn't you say?" Kakashi indirectly greeted his pupils with a question, whether rhetorical or not, he didn't expect an answer.

Sakura and Naruto shakily rose to their feet, having sat down some time ago as they'd begun to drift off. "You said five am, sensei." The girl yawned, but managed to shoot a tired glare towards her teacher.

Kakashi nodded, ignoring the fact that Pītā was staring at him. "Five am for you, not for me. I had some important errands to run, I assumed you'd understand." He responded, earning an annoyed glower out of Sakura.

Naruto seemed to share his teammate's disposition though, his crystal blue eyes barely open as he addressed his teacher. "We've been waiting here for hours!" He yelled, though it did nothing to faze Kakashi.

He raised his eyebrows, the one they could see anyway, and replied. "Then it's good to know that you can obey a simple order, think of it as a much smaller test to start the day." Kakashi reasoned, prompting Naruto to quiet down and Pītā to finally speak up.

"Should we expect more of these hidden tests, sensei?" The boy queried, garnering the veteran ninja's attention.

Kakashi gave a slight nod, though appeared to be on the fence regarding the matter. "I think you'd be a fool not to, Pītā. Now, enough chit chat. Let's get started, shall we?" He asked his students, though didn't exactly give them any choice either.

Their elder waltzed up to a nearby lone tree stump, the wood had been cut cleanly so the rookies had to guess that Kakashi had been preparing for their arrival. A singular alarm clock sat in the middle of the stump, perched precariously as if its numbered face was somehow staring at them.

Pītā had noticed it and rightly assumed it to be part of the test, so he didn't question why it was there. "We're being timed?" Sakura however, felt the need to.

Kakashi fiddled with the clock before throwing a glance her way, eye still as vague as ever. "Indeed you are, worried?" He challenged the three, not bothering to stare at them long enough to see Naruto take a step forward.

He shouted, predictively. "No way we're worried! Timed or not, we'll destroy your crummy test, believe it!" The blonde vouched for himself as well as his teammates, gesturing to both vastly different members with a confident grin.

Sakura still seemed unsure, eyebrows knotted and lips unable to smile. "Umm…" she meekly mumbled, though was overshadowed by a smirking Pītā.

The web-head shrugged, not seeing the harm in bragging a little bit. "What he said… only, you know, without the 'believe it' part." The brunette remarked, off-handed in his delivery.

Kakashi however, chose to ignore the pair for the meantime, instead focusing on the least confident of the squad. "A little confidence never hurt anybody, Sakura. Don't be afraid to speak your mind… provided it doesn't get you killed, of course." He added, warranting a shaky nod out of the Kunoichi.

"Yes, Kakashi-Sensei." She agreed, glancing in her teammates directions to receive nods of encouragement.

Despite their goofball and smart-guy nature, it was something Sakura secretly appreciated. The duo of ninja really grated on her nerves sometimes, and it was almost as if they had made it their sworn mission to bug her every day for the rest of her life. But then they did things like this, dropped the prankster and jokester façade for a single moment and did everything they could to elevate her.

For all of her adolescent years pining after Sasuke, she'd never once experienced such a feeling. The feeling someone got when a friend would tell them 'I believe in you', it was indescribable to her. But she felt it, a smile forming on her lips as Naruto's grin and Pītā's eyes simply exuded confidence, it was practically infectious to her.

Kakashi saw this, saw this as clear as day. "Attention, please. This is your assignment; take a long, hard look at these bells." The man ordered, requesting all eyes on him as he held up a pair of small, sleek and silver bells.

He gave them a shake, the tell-tale jingle chiming through the ears of each student. "You're going to take them from me, that's all there is to it. There are a few conditions however; otherwise, this would be an incredibly easy task and in all honesty, where's the excitement in that?" The Jōnin explained, waiting for the inevitability that Naruto would interrupt him.

As predicted, the blonde haired boy folded his arms and scowled at their teacher. "What sort of conditions?" Surprisingly for all present, the rookie chose not to bellow his words.

Kakashi gestured to a set of three red posts some distance away in the clearing, with his enhanced vision, Pītā saw that there were three packs of food laid in front of each post. "If you can't take these bells from me by noon, you don't eat. I'll restrain you and tie you to those posts, all the while eating my lunch in front of you." He revealed, earning nothing but utter dead silence from the trio.

Sakura frowned and clutched her stomach as it began to churn and growl, Naruto's forehead was practically amassing sweat as his mind raced. Pītā on the other hand, ran a hand through his thick brunette hair, confident that he could've gone all day without eating.

"Nothing too extreme then," Pītā mocked, unable to see the smirk forming underneath his sensei's mask.

Kakashi watched them; waiting quietly for one of them to notice something was amiss. They were sharp, all of them were, with Pītā arguably the sharpest of the bunch. But while he was too busy being funny, Sakura was the first one to figure it out, her expression morphing from one of hesitance and reluctance to one of realization.

"There's two pairs of bells… how come there're only two sets of bells when there're three of us, sensei?" She pointed out, causing Pītā and Naruto to glance at one another in mute dread.

Kakashi shrugged, eyebrows raised but eyes still incredibly disinterested. "To ensure that at least one of you won't get one, stakes are higher that way. Whichever one of you doesn't get a set of bells, that student will be tied to a post and ultimately disqualified for failing to complete the mission. Furthermore, they'll go back to the Academy and have to 'graduate' all over again. Of course, all three of you could flunk out too, that's always a possibility." He stated flippantly, greatly pouring on the pressure for the kids a few words.

They had to get those bells, being forced back to the Academy was not an option for any of them. "This isn't playtime, children. In my game, anything goes. Shuriken, kunai, whatever else you can throw at me, use it. If you're not prepared to kill me then I assure you, you won't be able to take these bells." He told them, spoken like it was fact, as if it had been pre-determined in some way.

Pītā didn't know what to make of it, so opted for his usual go-to response. "A teacher ordering us to kill him? Opposite Day's not for another month, at least." He quipped, humouring no-one but himself as Sakura pondered the act of attacking a sensei with such lethal force.

She raised a hand to make a point, even speaking out of term in a bid to be heard. "But sensei—" She attempted, but was cut down as Kakashi spoke up and immediately silenced her.

"No buts, Sakura. I tell you to do something and you do it, that's how this student/teacher thing works. Am I understood?" His voice spiked an octave, his eyes hardening for once in order to make himself clear.

The three Genin gave resolute nods, not bothering to question his agenda on the matter. "That'll have to do, I suppose. Now, get ready for a long day. When I say start, you can begin." Kakashi explained, though arched an eyebrow at Naruto.

The boy was sweating, almost jumpy in a way that told Kakashi he may have been scared. But that thought was thrown out of the window when Naruto whipped out a kunai, spinning it around his finger to grip its hilt, and charged at him.

Kakashi was quite pleased, actually. He'd expected them to take a more indirect route of attack and while it was admirable to see such bravery, charging in blindly was still very, very stupid. Sakura blinked for a moment, a third of a second gone and the Jōnin had already managed to get behind Naruto, twist his arm behind his back and hold the kunai's pointed blade to his blonde head.

She gasped in sheer astonishment; save for Pītā, the girl had never been witness to such speed before. Her hands were covering her mouth, clearly disproving the idea that she could've cared less about Naruto. She watched the boy struggle as Kakashi held him in place with ease, looking down on him like he was a minor annoyance instead of a full-scale threat.

Pītā on the other hand, had seen the entire thing. One of the advantages his powers granted him was enhanced senses, and in all honesty, to him… it appeared as if Kakashi had been moving in slow motion. He was fast; there was no doubt about that. But he'd seen the Jōnin move and manoeuvre his way around Naruto, so it didn't shock him the way it did Sakura.

He just… saw things in a different way to that of his teammates, being blessed with not one but multiple kekkei genkai. "That could've gone better," Pītā muttered, witnessing Naruto completely helpless in their sensei's grasp.

"You're an impatient one, I didn't say start yet." Kakashi relinquished his grip on the boy, allowing him some distance as he re-joined his teammates, while rubbing his wrist in slight pain.

"But you did carry out my orders, and came at me with the full intention of destroying me. There's no easy way to say this, because I initially thought you three to be pains in the neck, but I think I'm actually starting to like you guys." Kakashi expressed, surprising the trio with his fond words.

Pītā furrowed his brow for a moment, before speaking up and addressing the elite ninja. "Do you like us or… like-like us? Because they're completely different things, dude." He joked, earning a snicker out of Naruto and an embarrassed glare from the only female of the team.

Sakura voiced her disapproval like that of a scolding mother, tone surprised as she lambasted him. "Pītā!" The boy turned to her with both hands raised in defence, not seeing the harm in such a gag.

He played it off, though secretly enjoyed riling her up. "What? Just curious," he excused himself, a smug smirk hidden beneath his dark blue mask.

Kakashi ignored the angry pout Sakura was directing towards Pītā, he chose to ignore the bickering completely, accepting it as part of the package. "Well, staying away from that, I think the time for talk is over. When I say start… start!" He ordered, shifting to a defensive stance as his three students mimicked him.

It happened in the space of a second, more like a third of a second as Naruto and Sakura leapt away and into the surrounding cover of nearby trees. Kakashi had been fully expecting that, for them to play the defence card and wait for him to show some kind of opening that they could exploit. It was a smart move, except he wouldn't exhibit an opening because he wasn't a rookie.

But he hadn't expected for one of the Genin-in-training to go straight for him, like a predator going for the throat of its prey. The last surviving member of the Shukeikō-Clan made a bee-line in his direction, closing the moderate distance between them with surprising speed. Kakashi knew that spiders were fast, heck, they're speed was one of the most notable things about them. But he didn't expect such a thing from someone so young, it didn't happen often but it was just enough to catch the veteran off-guard.

The silver haired sensei just barely had the time to register an attack and evaded, managing to breeze by the boy's adolescent fist. He watched with his arms raised, ready to guard against any Taijutsu the boy had to offer. No time passed, not even seconds, and Kakashi had to lean away from a sandal-clad foot sweeping straight for his head.

"Didn't see that coming?" Pītā questioned, hitting the grass ground hands first.

Kakashi had to gain some distance, leaping backwards as the spider narrowly missed him with two sandal soles to the chin. "Truthfully, I didn't. But out of the three of you, you are by far the most confident. I wonder if there's a reason for that," the kid hadn't yet been able to tag him but the speed in which he was pressing his attacks was fairly impressive.

Especially for a boy of his age, with his Academy level skill set. "I'm wearing my lucky underwear today," Pītā jested, righting himself in the air before he employed a little bit of superhuman strength and launched a pair of kunai at his teacher.

Kakashi darted out of the way of the first, rolling on the floor before being forced to halt himself by the second metal weapon. "Well, that's as good a reason as any. But there's a fine line between bravery and stupidity, you seem to enjoy walking it quite often." The man informed the young ninja, not being able to figure out how he had predicted his movements.

With a shadow descending upon him, Kakashi looked skyward just in time to roll forward and dodge a set of sandals, aimed squarely at his chest. "Lookie here, the personification of a fortune cookie!" Pītā jabbed, landing before flipping in order to narrowly evade a sweep of the leg.

Kakashi saw the boy bring his leg around mid-air, but wasn't in any position to dodge, raising his arm to take the force of the blow. The result was clear, the force behind the attack strong enough to send the man sliding some distance away, coming to a slow and steady halt as Pītā landed with pristine and fluid agility.

Kakashi had to hold his arm for a moment; it felt tender but definitely not broken. "You're not like your friends, are you?" Although the move had clearly connected, Kakashi felt as if it hadn't done as much damage as it should have.

He came to a conclusion there and then, easily deducing with just one look at the boy that he was holding back, restraining himself from using too much force. "Friends in the loosest of terms," Pītā quipped, rising out of his spider-like crouch to stand.

Kakashi mimicked him, his usually vague expression slowly morphing into one of abject interest. He knew how powerful and varied spiders were, their Kekkei Genkai gifted them with many useful abilities in the art of ninja. Superhuman strength, speed, agility and durability chief among them. He'd seen the abilities in action thanks to the two previous spiders of Konoha, Pītā's father and uncle. They were fast, unimaginably fast. And Kakashi had rarely ever seen such strength, the name 'Lady Tsunade' coming to mind immediately. When he received word that he'd be mentoring not just the host of the Nine-Tailed Fox but a spider too, he was convinced he was going to have his hands full.

Pītā was simply proving him right, and while Kakashi wasn't exactly going in for the kill himself, the boy impressed him. "You like to talk a lot," the eldest present told the brunette; presenting it as though it was new information.

Pītā responded by cocking his head, eyebrows raised humorously. "You don't say," he chided, actually enjoying himself thus far.

Kakashi shrugged, attempting to appear his usual casual and aloof self in order to throw the boy off. "Just making an observation," he flippantly said, prompting Pītā to follow up.

"I'm surprised you can, what with the whole 'one eye' gimmick and stuff. Seriously, how is your depth perception not thrown all out of whack?" The boy questioned, genuine curiosity lost within a joke.

Kakashi obliged, indulging the boy's inquiry. "Three simple words; training, training and more training." He explained, earning an unconvinced look out of the child.

With an eyebrow arched, Pītā pressed his luck. "That's five words," the red and blue Shinobi stated, his spider-sense screaming in his skull for a moment.

He brought his hand up to catch a kunai, the razor-sharp edge inches away from his face. "Nobody likes a know-it-all," Kakashi deadpanned, having tested Pītā's reflexes with that kunai.

He'd been expecting the outcome; Pītā was simply too fast for ranged attacks. "Sound advice for Sakura then," Pītā hit back, twirling the projectile around his fingers before he threw it back with spider-strength.

Kakashi didn't even bother trying to catch it, the kunai whistling past his head as he ducked and sprinted straight for Pītā. For the first time since the two of them had met, Kakashi saw that Pītā was caught off-guard. He hadn't been expecting the Jōnin to simply rush him head on, the man straying away from defence to surprise the boy.

He closed the distance between them fast, and intended to test Pītā fully. He lashed out, fist hitting nothing but air as Pītā had already moved, already manoeuvred his way around him. He was behind him, reaching for a set of bells and Kakashi had to immediately swing back with his arm, forcing Pītā to abandon them and spring into the air. The silver haired veteran had observed the boy airborne; he was much less versatile when off the ground.

A pair of sandals came at Kakashi's masked face, only to be caught as the Shinobi planned to swing Pītā and throw him away. His expression morphed from determination into one of realization however, as upon the point of throwing the boy, Kakashi found that he couldn't let go of his sandals. Pītā took the minute moment, less than a second of time, to anchor himself to the ground with his hands and use that leverage to fling his teacher with his legs.

Kakashi flailed for a moment, before gaining some semblance of his bearings as he flipped and righted himself, landing deftly by the base of a lone tree. "Good idea with the whole 'human hammer throw' thing, too bad I tend to stick to things, huh?" Pītā challenged, approaching the enigmatic ninja with a growing air of confidence.

His sensei nodded, remaining steadfast by the tree. "Much like a bad penny, I can't seem to get rid of you." Kakashi decided to play the young Genin's game because as he'd noticed during their fight, Pītā seemed to enjoy toying with his opponent.

It was a smart tactic; there was no doubt about that. But it was much more effective against Academy-level ninja, due to their age and inexperience. One wise enough could simply choose to ignore it, block out his voice and focus solely on the fight. His ability to talk whilst simultaneously trading blows with an opponent was an impressive one, the boy joked and conversed without missing a beat, as though it were as natural as breathing.

Kakashi didn't mind either way, he wasn't gullible enough to actually fall for any of it. In truth, it provided a good chance to study the boy's various techniques and abilities. Though he had to wonder just what Naruto and Sakura were doing, perhaps biding their time and waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

Those thoughts quickly vacated Kakashi's mind as he lured Pītā closer and closer, waiting in anticipation for the Shinobi to make a move. "Imagine how my teammates feel," the brunette quipped, ready to dart ahead and tackle his teacher head on.

Had it not been for his spider-sense, he would have. But he halted himself, listening to it for a moment. The way Kakashi was waiting for him, almost as if he were luring him into some form of a trap. The look on the man's face, what he could see of it anyway, said it all. The disappointment was clear as Pītā refused to take another step forward. But there was also… curiosity, dashes of intrigue.

"Something wrong? Having second thoughts about fighting me?" Kakashi challenged, hoping to play to the boy's ego as Pītā appeared to be pondering something.

The pre-teen smirked beneath his mask, with the aid of his spider-sense, he'd seen past his sensei's game. He didn't answer, and it only served to fuel Kakashi's interest as for once, the talkative ninja consciously chose to hold his tongue.

Kakashi relented, shrugging his shoulders in flippant defeat as he approached Pītā calmly. "Well, it was worth a shot." A little disheartened that the rope trap he'd set up had gone to waste.

Still though, he couldn't figure out how Pītā had known not to walk into it. "If it's any consolation, you sold it really well." Pītā remarked, feeling fairly in control of the situation.

Of course, that was before Kakashi raised his hands and formed a hand sign. "Umm…" The boy mumbled, watching as his teacher exploded into a plume of smoke, leaving behind nothing but a solid wooden log.

It dropped to the floor unceremoniously, forcing Pītā to assume an immediate defensive stance. "When did you—?" The spider began but held his tongue when his spider-sense once again blared, igniting the synapses in his brain.

The danger was below him and he leapt high into the air, avoiding two hands reaching and grabbing for his ankles. Pītā back flipped, hitting the grass in a three-point stance and watching in mild confusion as Kakashi climbed his way out of the ground. A small crater was left in the dirt, and Pītā deduced that Kakashi was quite strong, he had to be in order to power his way through solid Earth.

"Substitution Jutsu? How'd you pull that off? I had my eyes on you the entire time, sensei." Pītā questioned, as for the first time since the start of the fight, his curiosity had gotten the better of him.

Kakashi stared back at bewildered brown eyes, his own thirst for knowledge taking hold. "I'm a ninja, Pītā… my secrets have secrets." He evasively answered, receiving a disdained roll of the eyes for his troubles.

They seemed to be an impasse for the time being, Kakashi most likely had at least ten more back-up tricks up his sleeve but Pītā was somehow able to predict and avoid everything he threw at him. There was more to him than met the eyes, something that went beyond his physical capabilities and he was convinced it had nothing to do with the use of chakra.

It was too quick, too instant to be related to the natural energy of the body. Pītā had a hidden weapon up his sleeve; it wasn't in his eyes like the Sharingan or the Byakugan and was undetectable to Kakashi. Whatever it was, it made tagging the kid extremely difficult and no doubt virtually neutralized the possibility of stealth.

Not even an hour into the test and he was already having trouble with just one of the trio… in fact, he'd gotten so interested in the conflict, Kakashi had completely forgotten about Sakura and Naruto. Just where were they?

* * *

Elsewhere in the clearing, the subject of Kakashi's thoughts had been watching and waiting for the perfect time to intervene and aid their teammate. The duo were quite surprised, Pītā seemed to be faring quite well, even against a vastly experienced opponent such as Kakashi.

Whilst Naruto was growing impatient and fidgety, hating the fact that they were sitting on the side-lines, Sakura figured that it was a great way to study their new mentor. He was smart, extremely sharp despite his relaxed demeanour and although unable to tag Pītā successfully, it felt like he was testing the boy more than actually fighting him, seeing what he was capable of.

Sakura had to admit, she'd seen Pītā fight before but because of his speed, reflexes and sheer strength, his Taijutsu vastly overpowered any of the Academy rookies. Even Sasuke, her future husband and number one rookie, had trouble just reading Pītā's unpredictable movements.

He was sporadic, off the wall and never kept to any specific fighting style. While one could argue that it was a weakness, Pītā made good use of his abilities and employed them in the way he fought, seamlessly weaving them into every aspect of his Taijutsu.

Sakura's green eyes left the ongoing conflict to linger on Naruto, his arms folded and a frown clearly present on his lips. "I was gonna go one-on-one with Kakashi-Sensei," he quietly complained, blues eyes squinted as he too spectated.

"Don't be such a whiner, Naruto. Kakashi-Sensei's defence is pretty strong; Pītā's looking for an opening we can use... I think." Sakura reasoned, though actually had no clue what her friend was up to.

When Kakashi had given them the green light, she'd fully expected Pītā to join them in the safety the trees had to offer. But the brash ninja had chosen to go head on with an elite Jōnin, not a smart move even with all that he could do. It was almost as if he were testing himself, seeing how far he could take it with someone of such a high rank.

If it had been a real fight, Sakura could've argued that Pītā had a severe death wish. "He's not even hitting him! They're talking like they're old friends, not fighting!" Naruto voiced his frustration on the matter, kunai in hand to show how prepared he was to join the scrap.

Sakura wasn't exactly as proactive as her comrades, but she too was beginning to feel a little left out. "You should know by now that Pītā likes to talk, it's what he does. He's trying to get inside Kakashi-Sensei's head, but I don't think it's working. It's a smart tactic against rookie ninja like us, but used against a veteran like him, I just don't see Pītā pulling it off." The pink haired Kunoichi admitted, admiring Pītā's clever but misplaced tact.

Naruto seemed a little confused on the matter, as if he'd missed something in Sakura's words. "But… I thought Pītā's bloodline made him faster and stronger, what gives?" He pressed, prompting Sakura to shrug her petit shoulders.

"Strength and speed don't dictate a fight, Naruto. Pītā's clan were once a powerful family of ninja, their abilities alone made them a force to be reckoned with. But even the most powerful can fall, that's why Pītā's the only one left. His powers might be an advantage, but against someone as skilled as our new sensei, I don't think he has a chance." She concluded, seemingly igniting something in her blonde companion.

Naruto practically sprang to life, an eager grin forming on his face as Sakura almost fell out of the tree they were perched in. "Then what're we waiting for?! We're supposed to be a team, let's get down there and help our teammate out!" He exclaimed, pushing past the branches and foliage of the tree to leap back into the clearing.

Sakura reached for him, grabbing nothing but thin air. "Naruto, wait! Ugh! Impulsive idiots, the both of them!" She yelled in annoyance, jumping after the orange-clad boy.

They hit the ground and rolled, the soft blades of grass providing enough cushion for them to do so without any discomfort, and the pair took off into a sprint. They saw that Pītā had Kakashi relatively distracted, bouncing around him like red and blue pinball. Sakura took the opportunity to get directly involved in the fight, whipping out a handful of kunai and launching them at the sliver haired Jōnin.

Pītā abruptly landed in their path with his back to them, using both forearms to shield against a roundhouse kick. Sakura gasped, and Naruto attempted to speed up, almost as if he were trying to save Pītā from the impending danger. Kakashi on the other hand, saw the projectiles slicing through the air, headed right for the oblivious boy and did nothing to stop it.

Just as the man had predicted, Pītā didn't have to see the danger to avoid it, corkscrewing into the air and over the sailing kunai blades. Kakashi was the one now in their path, but simply brought up a kunai of his own and batted them away with blurred and practiced motions.

Pītā landed, standing but in a low stance as Sakura and Naruto finally joined him. "Took you long enough," he snidely remarked, glancing between both his friends.

Sakura was about to point out and question the fact that Pītā had somehow dodged an attack he didn't even see coming, but thought better of it. "Spare us the attitude, bug breath. Do you have a plan or are you just gonna hit nothing for the next couple of hours?" She hit back, employing a no-nonsense tone where the boy was concerned.

Naruto gave a nod in agreement, remembering that the trio were being timed. "All this standing around and talking is getting us nowhere, we only have until noon!" He urged, his tone growing in volume once again.

Pītā raised his hands in defence, quickly racking his brain for any useful methods and tactics that they could employ against their teacher. "I have bits and pieces, maybe… twenty percent of a plan." He meekly answered, drawing a look of astonishment out of Naruto and a sigh of disappointment from Sakura.

"Twenty percent?! Where's the other eighty?!" Naruto yelled, a little too frantically for Pītā's taste.

Luckily, Sakura butted in before Pītā yelled back. "It'll have to do; we don't have the time to argue about it. What's the plan, Pītā?" She questioned, garnering a frown and fold of the arms out of Naruto.

Pītā directed his gaze to the still-waiting Kakashi, the skilled Shinobi watching him right back. "We outnumber him three to one, if we rush him and try working together, we might stand a chance of getting those bells. I know it's not much of plan, whiskers, but it's all I have." The boy told his friend, drawing a sigh from him in the meantime.

Naruto couldn't be mad at him, he hadn't been able to come up with anything either. "It's a longshot but… it still might work," Sakura chipped in, the three Genin facing their teacher as they prepared to tackle him head on.

"We're ninja; losing's not an option, guys." Pītā firmly stated, hands balling into fists as Sakura brushed a stray strand of long pink hair out of her face, and Naruto gritted his teeth.

Kakashi himself stood ready, though didn't exhibit the same amount of urgency as his pupils. "I'll be the judge of that," because for as talented as they were, they were still just Genin and he could've honestly gone at it with them all day long.

His three charges bolted at him, a clear goal in each of their minds. "Naruto, you and I go low! Sakura, go high!" Pītā barked orders at his teammates, both of them too preoccupied and caught up in the moment to really question it.

Naruto simply nodded, but Sakura didn't even have time to register the jester's words as she was lifted off of the ground and sent sailing right at Kakashi. "Pītā! Wait!" She cried too late, instead leaning into the momentum of the flight.

She flipped in mid-air, slowing her speed dramatically as she aimed both feet directly at the Jōnin's padded chest. Predictively, Kakashi evaded the human projectile with ease but was kept on his toes as Pītā reached him within seconds. The boy leapt at him, fist cocked and ready to strike. Kakashi snapped to the left and brought a knee up, slamming it into Pītā's stomach.

If the boy was winded or hurt in anyway, he didn't show it, pushing the knee away from him. Kakashi was sent spinning due to the force but went with it, using the momentum to spin around and deliver a devastating kick, aiming squarely for Pītā's masked head. The red and blue spider brought his arm up and simply blocked it, before planting both his open palms on Kakashi's ears.

All the Jōnin heard was ringing for a moment, feeling a little dazed as he shook his head and attempted to power through the sensation. "We got him on the ropes!" He heard Pītā yell, though it sounded muffled and disjointed.

Before he could react, he felt his legs being swept out from under him and found himself staring up at a grinning Naruto. "I'm going for a bell!" The boy shouted, reaching down to pluck a pair of the silver musical chimes from Kakashi's person.

Kakashi was coherent enough to grip the kid's wrist and hurl him a few feet away, not idling on the ground by any means as a pair of sandals broke the Earth not a moment later. "He's back on his feet; keep him on his toes, Sakura!" Pītā once again ordered, watching Kakashi do his best to duck and weave out of the path of several kunai Sakura had pelted his way, his hearing still a little off.

Sakura pressed her advantage to tackle Kakashi hand-to-hand for the first time, her adolescent fist reaching up to just barely miss his jaw by inches. With her teeth grinding together and green eyes full of youthful determination, the man saw that the Kunoichi clearly wanted it. Wanted a chance to prove herself, to who he wasn't quite sure, but the fact that she was trying pleased him greatly.

There were a lot of ninja out in the world that still held onto the forgotten ideals of ancient history, the usual nonsense of females being inferior to males. The fact that they weren't as strong or as fast as the opposite gender, that they weren't as driven. Kakashi was content to see that with each new generation of graduates, there were more and more Kunoichi to prove those ninja wrong.

As a matter of fact, the sheer spirit Sakura was showcasing impressed Kakashi; he hadn't seen such ferocity in a student in a long time. He pushed away an elbow that would've landed on his stomach and was about to catch the predictable fist that was sure to follow, but had to lean back as Sakura whipped out a kunai as if from nowhere.

He felt Pītā leap at him from behind, just had a hunch that the young ninja would take the chance to capitalize and actually caught him. Before Pītā could overpower and break away from him, Kakashi had already put him in the path of Sakura's razor sharp blade. Sakura held the weapons steadfast, she wasn't able to react fast enough to drop it and could only watch in silent horror as she was about to stab Pītā.

She felt herself hit the ground; the soft surface the grass provided causing no discomfort or injury. The girl had to wonder just what the heck happened, feeling a foreign weight lying on top of her as she lay there in wonder.

Naruto's cheeks blazed a fierce shade of red as he stared down at a stupefied Sakura, before he grinned sheepishly. "Fancy meeting you here," the boy nervously joked, having joined the fight just in time to spear Sakura out of the path of a wrestling Kakashi and Pītā.

Sakura pushed the boy off of her, was about to round all over him and beat him into oblivion for even trying such a stunt. But noticed the kunai she'd been holding was lying still on the dirt ground, clean as a whistle, with no red stains in sight. Realization hit her and for once, Sakura was glad that Naruto had… tackled her, for lack of a better word.

He'd stopped her from stabbing her own teammate, being in the right place at the right time for once. "Thanks for stopping me," Sakura meekly responded, rising to stand as Naruto joined her.

Rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment, Naruto still couldn't help grinning. "Hey, what're friends for?" He answered, unable to stop himself from blushing.

As the moment subsided, Sakura felt that she had to make herself clear though. "You know what'll happen if you do that again though, right?" She queried, completely deadpan and serious.

Naruto nodded profusely, his face heating up like a damn furnace. "Doesn't make it not worth it though," he felt brave enough to mock back, prompting a vein on Sakura's forehead to start throbbing.

"Little help here, guys?" The duo heard Pītā call, prompting them to abandon their conversation and dart towards the on-going fight.

Kakashi had the spider heir backed up against the solid bark of a tree, forcing Pītā to work defensively as he slammed fist after fist his way. He ducked, dodged and weaved, his body moving fluidly enough to remain untouched. Noticing Naruto and Sakura flanking the Jōnin, Pītā sprang skyward, hitting a branch with his feet as he defied gravity and took aim at Kakashi.

Both hands formed a familiar sign to the man and he found himself pinned against the jagged surface of the tree, struggling as much as he could manage but to no avail. "Spider-silk… stronger than steel," Kakashi mumbled as Pītā landed in a low, predatory crouch.

The man had expected the kid to employ it at some point, but had honestly forgotten about it. Pītā had been taking him on like that of a regular ninja, and the natural webbing he spun from his wrists had honestly slipped the Jōnin's mind. Naruto and Sakura joined Pītā, standing on either side of him with triumphant smiles.

"We did it! There's no way he can get outta that, Jōnin or not!" Naruto practically cheered, spying the Genin's ultimate goal jingling on Kakashi's person.

Pītā and Sakura stood silently as Naruto approached the helpless man and hesitantly reached for the bells, even as Kakashi appeared less concerned than he should've been. "Did we really do it? Is the test really over? That almost seemed—" Sakura began to air her doubts, but was cut off as Pītā narrowed his brown eyes at their stuck teacher.

"A little too easy," Pītā muttered suspiciously, before his spider-sense blared at the base of his skull.

Danger from all sides, the world slowed down around Pītā as he caught wind of shuriken searing through the crisp air, headed straight for him and Sakura. "Down!" He yelled, gripping her slender arm and pulling her to the ground with him, being careful not to yank it right out of the socket in the meantime.

Luckily, Naruto hadn't been in the line of fire as Pītā raised his head as the coast was clear. "Uh… guys… Kakashi-Sensei's gone…" He practically whispered, appearing dumbfounded as the Jōnin had been there not but two seconds ago.

Sakura wasn't too happy, noticing that the only thing pinned beneath Pītā's silver webbing was now a useless wooden log. "Substitution Jutsu… can't believe I fell for that," she lamented, the form of Ninjutsu being E-Rank, Academy level stuff.

Pītā aided her to her feet, watching as she patted down her red qipao with a frown. "Don't be so hard on yourself, we all fell for it." He told her, but was a little frustrated with himself too.

Naruto joined the duo, standing back to back with them as they circled and surveyed the wooded area. "Be on guard, eyes open and cover each other. I have your backs, you have mine?" Pītā questioned, his sharp vision scanning for any and all signs of a silver haired ninja.

Sakura nodded, her back pressed against the two boys. "Definitely," she stated, unwavering and resolute in her response.

Naruto felt an air of confidence flow through him, a determined smile decorating his lips in place of a mischievous grin. "Believe it," he spoke, conviction and certainty lacing his voice.

Kakashi was watching from afar, back pressed against the trunk of a tree as he had elected to gain some altitude, standing high above the forest floor. So far, they were doing rather well. They seemed to understand that teamwork was the way to go, and going it alone was simply a fool's errand.

He'd been fully expecting Naruto to be the one to disappoint him, as he initially seemed nothing more than a class clown. The information he'd read on the boy suggested that he was incredibly cocksure, and assumed that he was the greatest ninja this side of the Fire Nation. But it was safe to say that the former ANBU member had been pleasantly surprised, the boy appeared a little more restrained than usual.

Perhaps it was his teammates, anchoring him a little bit and forcing him to keep a clear goal in mind. There was certainly a balance there of some kind, and Sakura and Pītā seemed to be the best thing for the lad.

Moving onto the only female of Team 7, Kakashi was pleased with the progress Sakura was making. Being the girl's former sensei, Iruka had noticed that most of the aspiring Kunoichi in his class had had some kind of adolescent infatuation with the Uchiha heir.

The plan had been for Kakashi to have received him but they'd made a conscious decision to hand him over to Genma Shiranui and his team, removing the distraction that would have prevented Sakura and for that matter, Ino from making any real progress in their abilities.

With Naruto and Pītā, a more commanding presence, she seemed to be performing rather comfortably. As far as Kakashi was concerned, the Shukeikō boy was a natural born leader. When he wasn't so preoccupied with acting the comedian, there was a tactical mind at work and seemed to get the gist of the overall teamwork concept.

The entire team was rough around the edges, as was the case with any Genin-level team, but Kakashi was confident that he'd smooth them out and really make something of them. It was almost as if he'd decided to pass them right then and there, but he believed they had a little more time to kill before noon and he wanted to see if the rookies would actually be able to manage to take a bell from him.

But… what would've happened had the team become distracted, specifically the only girl on the rookie team.

It was quiet for a moment; everything remained painfully still, almost as if frozen in time. Trees seemed to cease their swaying, the sweet song of birds overhead appeared to die in their avian throats and the last thing that the three students heard was their own breathing.

Not strained or ragged, relatively calm actually. But there was trepidation in there somewhere, the mute anticipation that something was going to happen, something bad.

Pītā heard it first and the feeling of dread hit him in full force, but Sakura was the first to actually recognize what the sound was. "Sasuke?" She questioned, her meek voice splitting the sombre air for the first time in what felt like eons.

Grunts and groans of pain grew louder in volume, and it wasn't long before an injured and bloodied Uchiha lumbered out of nearby bush, almost collapsing beside the base of a tall, towering tree. Pītā and Naruto glance at one another in what could only be described as fear, the fear that the inevitable was going to happen.

The look on Sakura's face said it all, the colour draining from her complexion to resemble a chalky white. Tears threatened to burst and spill, the girl's heart practically breaking in two as she shook with fear. Pītā watched her take a step closer to the supposed boy, breaking the circle of three they had formed.

"Sakura… please, help me." Sasuke breathed out, actually coughing up crimson blood as he shuddered in pain.

It was the last straw for Sakura, who in all honesty, felt like fainting there and then. "I'm coming, Sasuke!" She called out, about to bolt right for her true love.

Had something solid and unwavering not gripped her shoulder, stopping her from reaching the boy. "Sakura. Don't." Pītā demanded, prompting Sakura to spin around and grip Pītā's wrist.

She attempted to remove it from her shoulder with all her youthful might but found that no matter how hard she pulled, there was no budging it. "Let go of me! Please, I have to help Sasuke!" She cried, practically begged as her teammate denied her request.

Pītā understood what that kind of imagery would've done to someone, using a person that meant so much to them against them. "He's not there, Sakura. More to the point, why would he be?" He really didn't want to see an injured Aunt Mei during the test.

Sakura was still trying to fight against Pītā's vice-like grip, a step shy of scratching his wrist with her nails. "I… I don't know, but—he needs my help and that's all that matters!" She yelled, getting more and more agitated to the point that Pītā had to physically restrain her.

It was an odd sight, one that Naruto wasn't exactly comfortable with but he understood that it was necessary. "We need you too, Sakura. Pītā's right, it's a trick, it's gotta be." Still, it was a nasty move hitting so close to home.

Pītā didn't have any trouble with the girl, if anything, her screaming was more of an issue than her kicking and thrashing about. "He wants you to take that bait, Sakura. He wants to get you on your own, isolated and cut off from us. Why? Because you'll be easier to pick off, we'll all be easier to pick off if we don't stick together. You with us?" He explained to the girl, having to overpower her shouting with a forceful tone.

The pink haired Kunoichi nodded, still unable to tear her emerald eyes away from Sasuke's sorry looking state. "Say the words, Sakura." Pītā reinforced, refusing to let her go until she was sound in both mind and body.

Naruto nodded in agreement, they needed know that she wouldn't just run off and wreck the whole test for them. "We have to hear you say them," he added, the two boys desperately trying to appeal to her common sense.

It took a few minutes for her to fully calm down, for her tears to dry and stain her pale cheeks. But eventually, her breathing evened out in Pītā's embrace and she had a moment to think logically and clear her head. It was a dirty trick; using someone she held so close to her heart against her. The only way it could've been more devastating was if her parents had been used, broken and bleeding beyond repair.

"I'm with you," Sakura whispered, her tone caught somewhere between a strained cry and a startled choke.

Pītā glanced at Naruto for a little confirmation; the blonde haired ninja seemed convinced and replied with a silent nod of satisfaction. Ever so slowly, Pītā relinquished his bear hug on the girl's petit frame and took a step away from her. Sakura had to severely fight the overwhelming urge to just sprint at Sasuke and embrace him, tell him that everything was going to be okay.

Both shocking and impressing Pītā and Naruto, Sakura turned away from the dark haired boy and offered a nod of the head to her teammates, a thin and serious line present on her lips. She was good to go, having literally turned her back on her one true love. It was a great feat of accomplishment, conquering something so emotionally disturbing.

But she'd done it, and her comrades couldn't have been happier.

Without a moment's notice, Sasuke exploded into a plume of swirling smoke behind the trio. "Shame, I really thought I had you with that Illusion Jutsu. You're lucky your teammates were here to support you, Sakura." Kakashi had revealed himself to the kids once more, lazily leaning against the wide body of a tree and oddly enough, reading a book of all things.

Sakura nodded, almost admonishing herself in the process. "I know, sensei." She admitted, well aware how badly she'd have screwed up had it not been for Naruto and Pītā.

Kakashi appreciated the fact that could own up to her faults, wasn't blind to her own misgivings. "Teamwork is vital, students. But you must also learn independence, as ninja, there will be times that call for you to rely on no-one but yourselves." He addressed all three of them, but Sakura still felt as though he was only talking to her.

Pītā arched an eyebrow and gestured to the book in his teacher's hand, a littler perturbed by the fact that he had chosen such an inconvenient time to read. "What's with the book, slappy?" He insulted, though it failed to break through Kakashi's cool and collected demeanour.

The silver haired Shinobi shrugged, appearing his usual emotionally deserted self. "A little light reading always sets me at ease; try not to let it bother you too much." He appeased, though the small show of serenity seemed to anger Naruto somewhat.

The blonde prankster couldn't believe his eyes, the three of them were working their absolute hardest to prove themselves and he was acting as if they weren't even worth his time. "You're reading?! What, we're just not that interesting to you?! Is that it?! Are you trying to insult us?!" The boy bellowed, though the outburst did nothing to crack Kakashi's hard exterior.

Pītā was a little surprised it had offended Naruto so much; he reasoned the boy must have held pride close to his heart. "I don't know whether to feel insulted or… befuddled," he murmured, drawing no-one but Sakura's attention.

She piqued a pink eyebrow, unsure what the boy was talking about. "Befuddled?" Sakura queried, prompting Pītā to chuckle lightly.

"Funny word, right?" He replied with a hidden grin, causing the girl to offer him a completely blank expression.

Naruto broke away from his friends and performed a hand sign, confusing all those present. "I've had it! One way or another, I'm getting those bells! Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Plumes of white smoke exploded around him, stunning Sakura and Pītā to the point of speechlessness.

Naruto was flanked by six other versions of himself, all wearing a determined smirk as they faced down Kakashi. "Don't worry, guys, I'll beat this test for all three of us!" The boy boasted, before he and his minor army of Narutos charged the Jōnin.

Kakashi appeared to be vaguely interested at best, his lone exposed eye widening slightly upon seeing such a technique. Sakura and Pītā on the other hand, were bewildered beyond belief. They had no idea that Naruto was able to perform such an advanced jutsu, especially since it was supposed to be a forbidden technique, created by the Second Hokage.

Pītā didn't bother turning to look at the Kunoichi next to him, his brown eyes fixed on all seven blonde lads. "Did you—?" He began to ask but was cut off mid-sentence, Sakura just managing to overcome the lump in her throat.

"Know he could do that? Do I look like I knew?" She answered, appearing just as clueless as her teammate on the matter.

Just when did the boy find the time to learn such a move? More to the point, how? What was even more impressive was that he seemed to wield it fairly well, all seven orange-clad boys appearing in perfect sync with one another as they sprinted towards Kakashi.

Pītā was lost, scratching the back of his head in the meantime. "Didn't he suck at that trick back at the Academy?" The boy aired his thoughts, glancing at Sakura to see that she was having a hard time taking her eyes off of the many Narutos.

She had to admit, she was impressed. "Looks like he got better, those aren't just illusions either, they're solid clones." Sakura informed the brunette, all the while wondering if the jutsu was enough to even challenge Kakashi-Sensei.

The Shinobi didn't appear to look worried; he'd only just managed to yank his eye away from his book to gaze upon the strange sight headed straight for him. The stories were true then, the demon host had indeed learnt a forbidden technique. The very same skill he'd used to defeat the Konoha traitor, Mizuki.

"Colour me mildly impressed," Kakashi muttered, ready to react as the seven variations of the boy came flying at him.

Truthfully, it made no difference to him how many of the boy there were. He was still just a Genin-level ninja, and he was fully aware that the Shadow Clone Jutsu divided the user's chakra up into each clone, giving them a fraction of the user's full power and strength. When wielded by someone like the Second Hokage, it presented a massive threat.

But when wielded by a rookie, it was more of an annoyance. That is, until Kakashi felt himself grabbed from behind, realizing that the boy had a few clones sneak up on him. Four Narutos held Kakashi, using every ounce of their strength to keep him rooted to the spot. He wasn't entirely sure which one was the real Naruto now, his eye darting between each and every one of them to see that they were all wearing that smug grin.

"You snuck up on me," Kakashi stated, though said it as though he were saying it to himself, clarifying that the boy had gotten the drop on him.

One of the Narutos holding his arms behind his back replied, he still wasn't sure whether it was the real deal or a carbon copy. "It's what ninja do, sensei." He mocked, redirecting his ocean blue gaze to see Pītā and Sakura waiting on the side-lines.

Pītā pondered for a moment, watching the events unfold. "You know, this would make for a really good distraction." He reasoned, throwing a side-ways glance at Sakura as his mind went to work.

She nodded, about to agree with his musings but let out a startled yelp when she felt herself hoisted off the grass ground. "Pītā! What're you doing?!" She cried, her pale cheeks deepening to a more reddish hue.

"I know, we really should have a name for this move. I'll worry about that later, right now, I'm gonna throw you. Be sure to grab those bells!" Pītā explained, aiming with her in hand before he launched her like a human missile.

Kakashi had no idea what had happened, the constant blonde hair and blue eyes in his face obstructing his vision. Something breezed by his torso, almost slamming into his left side. He fought the grip the group of Narutos had on him and managed to turn his head, his eye widening as he witnessed Sakura make a crash landing some distance away.

On her knees in the dirt, Sakura held something high in her hand and gave a triumphant beaming grin. "I got one! I actually got one!" She cheered, a distinct jingling of a bell heard as she waved it around in an excited frenzy.

Kakashi was stock still for moment, before his lips began to move beneath his mask. "A set of bells… she got one… the Shadow Clones were never meant as an attack, you used them to distract me and left me open for… whatever just happened." The man walked himself through it, silently impressed that the Genin had managed to pull the wool over his eyes… eye, singular.

Pītā himself was impressed, he just figured that Naruto was going to charge their teacher with a small battalion, kicking and screaming. "Raise your hand if you're as confused as I am," he called over to Kakashi and the blonde children surrounding him.

Naruto simply smiled, allowing himself to appear a little conceited on the matter. "I totally got you, sensei." The boy boasted, repeated the very same sentence he'd spoken when he'd tricked Kakashi with the blackboard eraser.

Kakashi fought the urge to smile; the boy's resourcefulness was commendable. "I suppose I won't be able to read Make-Out Paradise now," he lamented, feigning disappointment.

With one swift motion, the Jōnin overpowered the four clones holding his arms in place and threw the remaining three holding his legs high into the air. They sprawled for a moment before balancing themselves out as one of the many blonde pranksters formed a hand sign, prompting six of the seven Narutos to disappear in puffs of smoke.

The original Uzumaki landed beside Pītā, the boys exchanged brief nods before facing down Kakashi once more. "Tick tock, only one set of bells left. Who's it going to be, boys?" The man challenged the pair, hoping to maybe pit the two against one another.

But even Naruto, for all of his brashness and hard headedness, wasn't dumb enough to fall for it. He simply charged Kakashi, wordlessly sprinting at the veteran ninja as Pītā gave chase, bolting after him. Due to his superior speed, Pītā reached their ultimate target first, pouncing into the air and straight for Kakashi.

The silver haired instructor weaved to one side, evading Pītā literally slamming both feet into the Earth beneath. The ground cracked and fractured, but Kakashi didn't have time to dwell on it, another fist breezing by him, only this one had a kunai in hand. Just barely avoiding the blade's sharp edge, Kakashi gripped Naruto's wrist and swept his legs, but had to duck as Pītā's legs whirl-winded over him.

Naruto attempted to drive his kunai into Kakashi's leg, merely obeying his sensei's orders to attack him with the intention to kill. It proved fruitless as the man was already in the air, doing his best to keep pace with the incredible dexterous Pītā. The brunette summersaulted mid-air and brought his foot down towards Kakashi, unable to dodge so nimbly whilst airborne, the teacher hastily threw his arm up to guard against the blow.

He winced as it connected, feeling the arm-guard hidden under his sleeves dent, giving under the sheer force of the attack. Kakashi acted quickly and gripped Pītā's ankle, spinning the Genin away from him and trying to see where Naruto was, just in time to catch a shuriken slicing its way towards him. He let it fly towards a descending Pītā, watching as the boy twisted his body, allowing the projectile to pass him by harmlessly.

The duo landed, Kakashi low to the ground but Pītā even lower, poised in a spider-like crouch. "This is getting old, patchy." Pītā mocked, raising his hand to fire off an organic stream of strong spider-silk.

Distracted by Naruto, pressing him with a few more shuriken, Kakashi failed to dodge and the web-line hit its mark. With the remaining set of bells a simple tug of the line away, Pītā's heart skipped a beat when Kakashi swiftly gripped the sticky substance.

"You need to be quicker to pull something like that," Kakashi spoke, his tone calm and even despite the circumstances.

It was tense for a moment, a lone eye locked with two brown ones, narrowing as if challenging one another. Kakashi gave the line a tug but found Pītā held it steadfast, like an anchor refusing to let go. Naruto eventually joined Pītā, with Sakura arriving not long after, witnessing the small stand-off, unsure just who was going to give first.

Pītā turned to Naruto, holding the line slack. "You wanna get those bells, whiskers? Here's the plan," the boy whispered as Kakashi simply arched an eyebrow, wondering just what his students had up their sleeve.

Naruto appeared to be on board, grinning like an idiot as he gave a thumbs up. "Got it!" He yelled enthusiastically, before leaping onto the tightrope-life web-line between Genin and Jōnin.

Kakashi failed to deduce just what was going to happen, when Pītā raised his hand and cracked the line like a whip, the veteran Shinobi just barely able to keep hold on his end. Naruto was sent spiralling into the air, a grin clear on his face that told Kakashi all he needed to know, they were going to try an aerial attack.

With his eye on the orange and blue object in the sky, Kakashi's vision suddenly went dark, unable to see that Pītā had nailed him with a bolt of steel webbing. Instinctively, the man was forced to let go, his fingers slipping from the silk-strand as he attempted to pry the organic material from his face. With no resistance to stop him, Pītā simply whiplashed the last pair of bells skyward, delivering them into the waiting arms of one Naruto Uzumaki.

He landed hard, bracing himself for impact with a forward roll along the soft grass. "I did it! I got the bells! Now I can be a real ninja!" Naruto celebrated, eyes shut and pearly whites on show as he raised his prize high into the air.

Sakura didn't know what to say, Pītā simply clapped a few times with a hidden smirk. Kakashi had to opt for a kunai as he sawed through the webbing on his face carefully, unable to remove it through brute force alone.

His vision was greeted by a cheering Naruto, holding the last set of bells in his possession and signalling the end of the test. "Another diversionary tactic, very clever. Unfortunately, it cost you the bell, Pītā. Sakura and Naruto completed the mission I set them, you did not." Kakashi addressed his students, strolling over to stand over them.

Pītā nodded but shrugged all the same, throwing his hands up dismissively. "Ah, maybe next year." He muttered, not quite prepared when Sakura forced him aside and began arguing with the Jonin.

"Wait a minute, you're sending him back to the Academy? That's not fair, sensei!" Sakura yelled at the man, and he was suddenly very aware of the adolescent finger being pointed up at him.

He was about to respond when Naruto piqued up, agreeing with Sakura just as passionately. "Yeah! I mean, I did most of the work but Pītā helped out a lot!" He claimed, receiving daggers from Sakura as he chuckled meekly.

The subject of their discussion glanced from the nervous boy to the no-nonsense girl, before he felt he had to cut in. "Guys, look—" The spider began, trying to get them to calm down and see sense.

Sakura was having any of it, interrupting Pītā for his own benefit. "No, Pītā, this is wrong. You clearly knew what you were doing during the entire test; you never once lost face and helped us out every step of the way." She argued, silencing him immediately.

It rendered him speechless, practically stupefied to see them, specifically Sakura, defend him so passionately. With such a display, you'd be forgiven to have thought that the three had been teammates for years, not a single day.

Sakura held a pair of silver bells in her hands, staring at them intently. "Which is why… you deserve these so much more than I do, Pītā. You have so much more to offer Konoha; you'd be able to help so many people. The things you can do… you'd be invaluable as a ninja," she expressed, unable to look the lad in the eye as she offered the bells to him.

Pītā was about to flat out reject them when Naruto sighed, taking a long and hard look at the balls he possessed. "I really wanna be a ninja but… if it means leaving you guys behind, then I don't want these stupid bells." The boy spoke, mimicking Sakura's action and offering the pair to Pītā.

The red and blue Shinobi raised his hands, refusing to take them from his comrades. "Listen, sensei, they have no idea what they're talking about." Pītā attempted to convince the Jōnin, who simply stared at his three pupils in wonder.

His expression lit up, his eyes closed and cheery. "You pass," Kakashi simply stated, liking his three pupils more and more.

The trio gazed stone-faced at him for a solid minute, before they glanced at one another, emerald, ocean and chocolate eyes meeting for a fleeting second. "We pass?" Naruto questioned, the group looking back their teacher's way.

Kakashi nodded, smiling beneath his mask and somewhat pleased that he could drop the whole 'stone-cold sensei' attitude. "You pass," he repeated, it seemed they were having a hard time believing the man.

That was understandable; he wasn't exactly the poster boy for truth and honesty. "All three of us?" Sakura queried sceptically, her eyes narrow and full of suspicion.

The silver haired instructor gave a short chuckle; it was almost too good to be true for them. "Is there an echo? Yes, all three of you pass." Kakashi joked, attempting to alleviate some of the tension.

He saw as the colour slowly returned to Sakura and Naruto's cheeks, the realization taking hold of them. "Why?" Pītā on the other hand, simply arched an eyebrow and posed yet another question.

Kakashi was happy to satiate his curiosity, shed some light on the matter. "Why? Because you worked together in perfect tandem, you strengthened each other's weaknesses and stuck together, no matter what. There were a few bumps here and there, but nobody's perfect. Out of all of the Academy graduates I've ever been given, you are the only three I've ever passed." He revealed, catching the three actual Genin off guard.

They hadn't realized just how big of a deal it was, they weren't aware of Kakashi's impossibly high standards and as such, were pretty much blown away by the revelation. "You understood the fundamentals of teamwork, and employed them successfully. It may seem trivial to you right now but trust me, it's invaluable to your future as ninja of Konoha." Their senior continued to explain, watching their shoulder slump as they relaxed.

"So… we did it? We actually did it? No more tests, we're… we're ninja now?" Naruto asked openly, willing to accept an answer from anyone.

Sakura obliged, clear relief present on her own face as she closed her eyes and smiled. "We're ninja… real life ninja," she almost whispered, perfectly content but also completely exhausted, both emotionally and physically.

Pītā folded his arms, his natural bravado returning to him bit by bit. "So… the bells were just a trick, a ploy of some kind to get us to work together. Can't say I'm not relieved," he admitted, he had honestly thought that he'd failed the task Kakashi had given him.

The former ANBU captain nodded, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he looked over his students. "A ninja must see through deception, this was a pretty good start. Sakura, Naruto, having completed your goal, with your future as ninja right there for the taking, you chose to forsake that and stayed by your friend's side when he needed you most. I believe the word I'm looking for is 'nobility'; you both have it in spades." Kakashi congratulated them, earning a blush out of Sakura and a confident smirk from Naruto.

The man directed his attention towards Pītā, the boy who 'just wanted to help people'. "Pītā, you encouraged your friends and reinforced the very meaning of the word 'teamwork'. As such, you elevated them to all new heights and aided them in achieving their goal of becoming ninja." He praised, earning a nod from the spider heir.

Naruto pumped his fist high into the air, unable to contain his excitement and pure glee on the matter. "Team 7 sticks together no matter what, believe it!" He exclaimed, drawing a wary smirk out of the only female present.

"For once, Naruto's right." She admitted, pure happiness bubbling just beneath the surface.

Kakashi gave a short and hearty laugh, which sounded much less creepy than before. "You worked exceedingly well together, all three of you. The exercise is over, everybody passes. Squad 7 starts its first real mission tomorrow," he threw out an encouraging thumbs up and for the first time since the previous day, the kids felt like they could breathe again.

Pītā was about to say something, most likely something snarky, when a very familiar sound split the air around them. "Finally! We can eat again!" The boy cheered, his stomach growling like that of a wild animal.

Sakura had to hold the bridge of her nose as Pītā simply rubbed the back of his neck, finding the outburst kind of funny. "That's what he's excited about?" The pink haired Kunoichi deadpanned, earning a peak of the eyebrow from her brunette friend.

"You're somehow surprised?" He hit right back, having known Naruto long enough to expect that kind of thing.

Sakura was about to argue, raising her finger to accentuate her point. "I… good point," she caved, having been waiting for Naruto to mention something about food.

Specifically ramen, his professed all-time favourite. "So, we did it! We passed! I'm starving, so let's celebrate with some delicious ramen! Last one there… ah, you know the rest!" Naruto bellowed before bolting off, running like a mad man back towards the village.

Pītā and Sakura weren't in any hurry to catch up with him; they knew full-well where they'd find him. "I could go for some ramen," Pītā admitted, being hungry enough that he honestly didn't care what was on the menu.

Sakura shrugged, still wearing a content smile on her lips. "Usually, I'd say no but… my stomach's been growling all day." She complied, starving enough to eat anything, even if it was ramen.

Pītā's brown eyes left Sakura and spied their elder, still standing with his hands stuffed in his pockets. "How about you, oh wise one? Care to join us?" The boy offered, fully expecting Kakashi to turn him down.

Truthfully, Kakashi was about to. But he felt the need to say yes, because he actually wanted to get to know his brand new team… his very first team. It was so surreal to him; he'd never had a team before. In all his years as an instructor, no pupil had ever been good enough for him. And there he was, the leader of his own Genin squad and everything.

Kakashi Hatake could best be described as a loner, and nobody, especially himself, considered him to be the 'mentoring' type. But he'd finally found a team that met his lofty expectations, that actually knew the basics of the whole 'team' concept. They held a lot of potential, all three of them, not just the spider and the Nine-Tails host.

The man slowly nodded, joining his two more level-headed students as they strolled back towards Konoha. "I suppose it couldn't hurt… sure. Lead on, students." For the first time since meeting them, he addressed them without any hidden agenda.

After a long, drawn out morning of tests, both psychological and physical, the trio of kids had taken a big step towards achieving their ultimate dreams. Lowly Genin, sure, but everyone had to start somewhere. They'd proved themselves to a notoriously strict sensei, who knew what else lay ahead of them on their path to become legends of the ninja world.

Even the most mythic of Shinobi were once their age…

* * *

 **Author's Note:** There you have it, the test is over and now, onto the dangerous stuff!

So, for the sake of progress, for now on I'm going to write the more important parts of the story. There's a lot of filler in the anime, like a lot, and I really want to cut that down and focus on the things that matter much like the manga. So the next chapter won't be Team 7 setting off to protect Tazuna, the bridge builder. It'll be the end of the Land of Waves arc, Zabuza abd Haku against Team 7.

I just want to avoid a lot of what has been done before, retreading old ground and all that jazz. Plus, it allows me to really progress and further the story, without all of the expiatory stuff the anime often throws at you. The bell test was neccassary because it shows Team 7's beginnings and how they learnt to work together and stuff, it also displays the bedrock of what will be a lasting friendship between Naruto, Sakura and Pītā.

Just wanted to let you guys know, thanks!

P.S. For those of you that play Fallout 4 out there, I was just curious, do any of you guys have a favourite companion? Because I fell head over heels in love with Curie :P

 **Guest Reviews:**

 **Aztec 13:** Marvel Mangaverse was where I actually got a lot of inspiration from, such as the Spider-Clan and so on :)

 **Spiderman Fan:** You forgot the hyphen! Blasphemy! Just kidding :P On the subject of a harem, I understand that a lot of authors tend to do that with Naruto but I'm not one of them. I write a story where Peter Parker hits it off with most females in fiction if that's your thing, it's not a harem, there short contained stories featuring alternate versions of Spider-Man.

There might be a mention down the line that the village wants Pītā to... continue his bloodline with a few families, but Pītā's not the kind of person to do what others tell him too. Unless they're his sensei, like Kakashi. A few female characters will show some interest, but there won't be any romance until after the time-skip, right now, Pītā's almost thirteen, dude :P

 **Guest1:** A few classic Spider-Man rogues will appear in the story in some capacity, one will be popping up during the Chūnin Exams and will give Pītā a run for his money. Pairings aren't really a concern right now, but they will be in the future. I'll keep Yugito in mind, thanks.

 **Guest2:** Pītā will grow stronger like that of the Naruto cast, yes. It'll have something to do with his spider heritage and birthright but he won't be transforming into a giant Man-Spider, sorry :P

 **atom king:** Those are great ideas to adapt, I think Grim Hunt might be the most fitting one. Kraven and his family should slot into the Narutoverse quite nicely. Thanks for the suggestion :)

 **Guest3:** That's definitely the idea, I want to leave things open right now so I'm free to choose later on, romance isn't a primary concern for young Pītā at the moment.

 **Darkknight421993:** Well, I hope you'll stick around. Thanks for the review!


	4. Put a Shirt On

**Author's Note:** So, in the last chapter, I mentioned at the end that I was going to jump a little bit from arc to arc, skipping a lot of stuff in the meantime. But after a few readers challenged the decision and pointed out to me that a lot of character development takes place at the beginning of the Land of Waves arc, I had to change my plans. Because you guys were right, there's a lot of important stuff in the Land of Waves arc that I can't bring myself to gloss over.

I mean, its Team 7's first real mission after all! So, yeah, just a little heads up there. I'd like to thank Deadpoolsson for helping me out a little this chapter, there were a few things I needed some advice on and he's been a treasure trove of knowledge for me.

So, I hope you guys enjoy the ride!

 **Disclaimer:** Spider-Man and all related characters are owned by Marvel and in turn, Disney. Naruto and all related characters are owned by Masashi Kishimoto, I own nothing.

* * *

 **Put a Shirt On (Land of Waves Arc)**

After a long and tedious week of carrying out trivial D-Rank missions, pulling weeds, finding lost pets etc. Team 7 found themselves starting their first proper assignment. Escorting a bridge builder, known simply as Tazuna, to his home in the Land of Waves. It was simple enough, there shouldn't have been any complications or unexpected occurrences, the man wasn't exactly high profile given his line of work.

Kakashi was a little unsure, while his students were competent and very capable; they were still just rookies, fresh out of the Academy. It wasn't common practice for them to leave the safety of the village so soon after graduating; it had literally been days since they'd even passed his special test within a test.

The only reason the Hokage had assigned them such a mission was due to Naruto Uzumaki and his incessant whining on the matter, wanting a real, honest to God ninja mission, not 'kid's stuff' as he had phrased it. Leaving the large reinforced gates of Konoha, the grizzled Jōnin saw the trepidation on one Sakura Haruno's youthful face. She was nervous, a little jumpy even.

The boy of the hour himself, the boy that claimed to be the next Hokage, seemed eager to get to work. He admired that in a ninja, the drive to do something, the absolute hunger for adventure of any kind. But if handled poorly and given free reign, the boy was simply going to get himself killed; it was as simple as that.

Outside of Konoha, anything went. That was the entire point of ninja villages; they had been built to keep the inhabitants inside alive. Three Genin, a Jōnin and a man that smelled like a town drunk were ripe for the picking. Naruto hadn't wanted to babysit anyone's children, but it was as if the boy forgot, he was still just a child himself.

Looking ahead to the front of the small pack Kakashi had been charged with overseeing, he saw Pītā Pākā leading the way. It hadn't been his decision to let the spider take the lead, the boy had volunteered himself. He wondered why though, perhaps some unquenchable thirst for battle? Action of any kind?

With the way the brunette was scoping the many treelines ahead of them as they strolled further and further away from the safe haven of Konoha, Kakashi was starting to suspect something. He couldn't explain it, it almost baffled him. The way he predicted attacks, even those he couldn't see, shouldn't have been possible.

He didn't possess an intimate knowledge of the Shukeikō-Clan and the powers their members wielded, but he was almost certain that they couldn't predict the future. They didn't have Dōjutsu of any kind, so he immediately ruled out any eye techniques. Still, the way he responded to sound, to any potential sign that a threat may have been present, it was intriguing.

Placing a hand on Sakura's pink head, the Jōnin chanced messing up her hairdo as she looked up at him. "Try not to worry yourself to death, Sakura. We're still within throwing distance of Konoha, and this is merely a C-Rank mission." Kakashi attempted to placate the girl, who removed his hand with a minor huff.

The Kunoichi took her teacher's advice though, as she straightened out her pink locks. "So, no-one's going to try and kill us?" She questioned, earning a bit of a chuckle out of Kakashi.

The silver haired Shinobi found her naivety a little cute, he'd spent so many years working with veteran ninja or going at it solo, the query had caught him off-guard. Usually, everybody knew what they were doing and what roles they had to play. He wasn't used to rookies that hadn't even been involved in real conflict yet; everything up until this point had been controlled and monitored.

Sparring with their Academy peers, being taught Genin-level techniques by Iruka, having the chance to goof off and just act like regular kids. It was going to be an interesting experience, their senior wasn't sure whether he was looking forward to or dreading the first time they'd be exposed to bloodshed.

Real, tangible violence. Violence for the sake of violence, mindless and cruel. They wouldn't be kids after that; though they wouldn't be real ninja yet either. Kakashi wasn't quite sure when ninja could consider themselves ninja; it certainly wasn't on their first mission, that he was sure about.

"I give you my word, you won't die today." He tried to reassure her, but his lack of contact with kids was limiting his ability to communicate with them.

Sakura's face said it all as she sweat dropped, turning away from him with an incredulous expression. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, sensei." The girl murmured, his words hadn't exactly set her at ease.

Pītā wasn't particularly worried, though the story Tazuna had given them leaved something to be desired. The man claimed to be a master bridge builder, and was working on such a monumental project that it was going to change their world. The young spider might've bought it had it not been for the drink in the man's hand, a bottle of hard liquor, only serving to slur his speech and dull his senses.

It made reading him tricky, but it didn't affect a person's heartbeat. And that was precisely why Pītā didn't believe him, because for the entire duration he'd been stood in the Hokage's office, surrounded by ninja, his heart rate had been off the charts.

It was thumping so fast, Pītā was convinced he was going to have a heart attack right there and then. It didn't make much sense to him, why would a profession as mundane as a bridge builder require protection? Ninja protection too, which presented even more questions.

The red and blue Shinobi glanced behind him to take a good look at the grizzled man, brown eyes bearing into him so fiercely that he'd actually taken notice. "What the hell are you staring at, brat?" Tazuna addressed the ninja like that of a street urchin, something Pītā did not appreciate.

Though the smart mouth chose to hold his tongue for the moment and instead shrugged, facing away from the man again. "It's not polite to stare, Pītā." Kakashi informed the boy from the back, his tone calm and friendly.

The little exchange hadn't gone unnoticed by the Jōnin, as despite his attitude, Pītā was anything but rude. Perhaps the boy had noticed something about their client that he had missed, even with all of his years of experience; he couldn't catch wind of everything.

Sakura and Naruto simply glanced at one another in mild confusion, before shrugging and continuing on their journey. Five sets of sandals thudded over a steady wooden bridge, overlooking a flowing crystal blue stream. The Land of Fire, the country which housed Konoha and its Leaf Ninja, was steeped in lush forests and pure river water. It truly was a sight to behold, being out of the hustle and bustle of the village also provided some time to really think clearly.

Fresh air, a soft breeze cooling the skin, birds fluttering and singing overhead, it was simply divine. Kakashi hadn't been outside of the walls in a good while and he was enjoying the peaceful sound, or lack thereof, of the silence that encompassed the area.

Sakura had closed her eyes for a moment, just basking in this newfound freedom. Naruto was still fairly twitchy, but the calmness and sheer serenity their wooded surroundings had to offer made it less apparent. Pītā was no cynic; he appreciated beauty when he saw it. Almost mimicking Kakashi at the rear of the pack motion for motion, the Genin stuffed his hands into his dark blue pants pockets and marched onward.

The quintet soon passed by a single, solitary puddle of water in the middle of a bone-dry clearing. The only one to really take notice of it was Kakashi, even Pītā hadn't been bothered enough to pay it any heed. Though when they'd walked some distance past it, Pītā's spider-sense had suddenly gone haywire.

The front and rear of the group span around to see two figures, clothed in ragged, dirty cloaks. They acted immediately, lashing out with some kind of steel chains. The unusual weapons wrapped themselves around Kakashi, completely binding his arms to either side of his torso. Tazuna, Sakura, Naruto and even Pītā looked on in pure horror as the two newcomers pulled with all their might.

Kakashi didn't get a word in, couldn't even scream as he was literally torn apart, limb from limb. Entrails and blood dropped to the ground in a disgustingly barbaric show of extreme violence, flat out murder.

"Kakashi-Sensei!" Sakura was the first to scream, her voice shrill and on the verge of breaking as the tears came fast.

Naruto's mouth was ajar; words struggling to form as he'd just watched his sensei get reduced to nothing but meat, right in front of him. "Sensei…" The traumatised child muttered, his entire body shaking and wracked with fear.

Pītā didn't know what to say, couldn't even begin to comprehend what had just happened when his spider-sense knocked him back to reality. "Naruto! Move!" The spider ordered, watching the two killers attempt to make the blonde their second victim.

But the boy froze, like a stock image, pure unbridled terror fraught on his face. The two enigmas were about to cut him down like a dog when two web-lines tagged both of their faces, jerking them with such superhuman force that they're necks almost gave out… almost.

They landed in a heap, using what looked like clawed gauntlets to attempt to tear the organic webbing off of their faces. One of them accomplished it, seeing the greenery around them once more before a fist found him, completely flooring him. Blood spattered and sprayed, his nose not broken, but crushed beyond belief as he lost consciousness.

The second teared the webbing off of his masked face, witnessing a spider of all things standing over his apparently knocked out partner. "You're dead, kid!" He yelled, employing the very same weapon he had used to murder the trio's sensei with.

Sakura instinctively moved in front of Tazuna, just in case their attacker took a chance and went for him. "I'll keep you safe!" She cried through gritted teeth, fighting the tears away as she held a kunai at the ready.

A barbed steel chain whipped and winded its way towards Pītā, the brunette was about to simply catch the line but watched in astonishment as Kakashi wrapped his arm around the killer's neck and proceeded to choke him out, rather violently.

"Sensei?" Pītā managed to overcome the lump in his throat, absolute confusion dancing in his eyes as Kakashi directed his gaze toward him.

The boy's chest was heaving; the blue sections of his red and blue ensemble were spattered with crimson blood. "Don't worry, you're not going crazy." Kakashi dryly stated, before he turned to a clearly shaken Naruto and infinitely relieved Sakura.

Sakura was beaming with joy, her cheeks still stained by a recent case of the waterworks. "Kakashi-Sensei, you're all right!" She cheered, like any child would upon the return of a parental figure.

Kakashi gave the girl a short nod and did that thing he did when he smiled with his eye, but upon casting his gaze upon Naruto, that eye smile all but disappeared. "I'm sorry for not acting sooner, Naruto. I didn't intend to put you in any danger; I just didn't expect you to… freeze up like that." He admitted, having heard countless times from the boy how great a ninja he supposedly was.

Naruto was too busy staring at the moss covered wooden log, sliced and diced on the dirt ground some distance away. While Kakashi had fooled his attackers with a Replacement Jutsu, he'd also managed to fool his students with the move once again.

Kakashi wordlessly stepped over to join Pītā, Sakura and Tazuna. "Efficient work, Pītā. You too, Sakura, you performed admirably." He commended the duo, earning a slow nod from the boy, his mind probably still trying to process things.

The old man, Tazuna, exhaled as sweat amassed on his forehead. With the sheer ferocity the two would-be attackers had displayed, he thought for sure that his number was up. Especially when the Jōnin had been falsely killed, but to his astonishment, the kids—probably hadn't even gone through puberty yet—had protected him at all costs.

The girl in front of him, almost half his size too, had stood her ground in the face of such violence. The red and blue one, the kid who liked to stare, had almost taken both of them down single-handedly. His heart was racing, his pulse jumping as the peaceful stroll through the woods had taken such a strong turn for the worse.

The only one who hadn't done his part had been Naruto, the boy who had a lot to say. The kid was just sitting in the dirt, eyes wide and fixed on the ground. Thoughts raced through his head, about how useless he had been, how easily he'd frozen when presented with a real threat.

A shadow crept over him, intruding on his little pity party to crouch down in front of him. "You okay?" Pītā queried, having noticed that the blonde was in such a sorry state.

Naruto wasn't quite sure how to respond, but spared a flicker of the eyes his way. "No," he admitted, favouring honesty above all else.

It was the truth, he felt worthless, just a crutch to the team at this stage. The blonde wanted to scream his lungs out, so much frustration in such a little body was a dangerous thing to keep bottled up. He wanted to yell at Pītā, round all over him for dealing with the threat head on, for showing him up, for… simply doing the right thing.

The boy sighed, realizing how stupid that would've been. It wasn't as though Pītā had done it to simply spite him, he'd acted and Naruto hadn't. Point of fact, he'd quite possibly saved his life. But there was still that fire, that starving core within him that demanded, no, practically craved greatness.

It was easy to imagine, how Sasuke would've handled the situation and then rubbed his inability to act right in his face. He hadn't expected that from Pītā, the boy was a different breed altogether. Looking at him, his clothes splattered with blood, a few speckles here and there on his skin, he looked as sorry as Naruto did.

Naruto saw the change in his pupils, the sudden surge in adrenaline dying out as reality had set in. "I should've done something," he told Pītā, earning a nod of agreement as the brunette offered him a hand up.

The blonde accepted the aid, rising to stand with his teammate. "You got scared, it happens to everyone, Naruto." Pītā informed him, receiving a look dripping with scepticism.

"It didn't happen to you," the boy replied, his tone downbeat and filled with disappointment, in no-one but himself.

Pītā gave a short laugh, because that couldn't have been further from the truth. "Are you kidding me? I was terrified! Did you see those guys? I thought they'd straight up murdered our sensei for crying out loud," he blurted out, pure and rough honesty spewing out of his mask covered mouth.

It was the truth, plain and simple. And Naruto could tell, there was just something inherently honest about Pītā. It made him feel a little better, knowing that with all that someone like him could do, he was still susceptible to fear just like he was.

"Really?" Naruto perked up, his frown slowly morphing into an encouraged smile.

Pītā decided to press, seeing the opportunity to bring him back from the brink of self-loathing right for the taking. "Definitely, I thought I'd need to head back to Konoha for a clean change of underwear." The boy jested, drawing a hearty laugh out of the blonde.

Kakashi, Sakura and Tazuna watched the exchange at a distance and the former actually came to a surprising conclusion. He wasn't particularly fond of a downbeat Naruto, much preferring the continuous grin the boy usually sported. Tazuna was too wrapped up in his own thoughts to really take any notice, and Sakura simply shrugged with a small sigh.

"Boys," she mumbled, unable to understand what made the opposite sex tick.

As the two goofballs shared a humorous back and forth a few feet away, Kakashi took a good look at the crumpled killers, lying on the floor around him. "It seems we have much to discuss, Mr. Tazuna." He didn't bother glancing in the man's direction; the Jōnin felt the nervous vibes he was giving off.

Pītā had somehow sensed the deception in him ahead of time, the veteran Leaf Ninja was sure of it. And the attack seemingly from out of nowhere only confirmed it; their client hadn't been wholly honest with them. And if there was one thing that Kakashi could not stand, it was a liar, plain and simple.

* * *

Minutes breezed by and Kakashi had requested that Pītā spare some of his webbing, pinning the two question marks to the base of a tall oak tree. The group of five stood around the tree, forming a sort of semi-circle just in case the duo tried anything, they'd regained consciousness and were nursing severe headaches.

Though they chose not to say anything, simply staring at their captors in complete silence and contempt. Kakashi didn't need to urge them to talk though, he'd been at it long enough to recognize distinct types of ninja. They were clearly too deadly to be Genin, and not skilled enough to be Jōnin, so it made things much easier for the one eyed Shinobi.

"Who are these punks?" Pītā asked, his arms folded over his chest and voice laced with disdain.

To be fair, it didn't exactly look like the two stalkers were crazy about him either. "They hail from the Village Hidden in the Mist, Chūnin by my reckoning. If we hadn't dealt with them as quick as we did, they wouldn't have stopped." He deduced, sighting them to be particularly persistent in their attack.

The two revealed Chūnin seemed to respond to his analyzation of them, squirming slightly before breaking their vow of silence. "You saw us coming from a mile away… how?" One of them questioned, clearly irritated with how the Jōnin had disposed of them so easily.

Kakashi pointed skyward, soft, white flourishes of cloud painted on a baby blue canvas high above him. "It hasn't rained in weeks, you do the math." He answered, calling back to the way he had noticed the out of place puddle.

Naruto and Sakura had absolutely no idea what he was talking about; they simply traded looks with one another and then shrugged. "So why did you leave it to the Genin?" Tazuna dared to ask the Jōnin, receiving a hard stare in return.

It was something none of the rookies had ever seen before, his singular eye usually conveying nothing but an extremely relaxed demeanour. "I don't think you're in any position to ask questions, master bridge builder. I ducked out to get a read on just who we were dealing with, my students handled themselves perfectly well and as such, allowed me to assess the situation. The real question here is… why did you deem it necessary to lie to us? Not just us, but our Hokage as well." Kakashi accused, each and every word spoken as if it were true fact.

Tazuna stuttered, he probably hadn't been expecting the ninja to have seen through his deceit so early. "I… I had my reasons," the man shakily attempted to defend himself, though he was cracking under the eagle-like eye of the Jōnin.

"I'm sure you did, but lying is unacceptable. Fielding attacks from enemy ninja is above and beyond the scope of what Genin are capable of, and by keeping need to know information to yourself; you've actively put them in danger. This mission could have—should have been handled by Chūnin, we have more than enough to spare." Kakashi berated the elder man, clearly unhappy with the way the mission was going.

It was a total mess, something that could have—should have—been avoided had the man simply told the truth. Sure, they would have charged more but the cost went hand in hand with how serious a mission it was. Having to deal with potential ninja hunting down their client, that was already an easy B-Rank or higher.

As Kakashi had previously stated, it outclassed the simple skills of rookie Genin.

Sakura found herself aligned with her teacher; none of them were ready for such a task. "Kakashi-Sensei's right; this is too dangerous for us. We shouldn't even be out here tackling a C-Rank mission, let alone a B-Rank." She made her point, earning a scowl from Naruto and an unconvinced look out of Pītā.

"I don't know, these girls weren't so tough." The spider boasted, going so far as to tap one of the Chūnin with his foot.

The ninja attempted to lash out at the lad but found himself unable to move, the silk's tensile strength proved too great to be broken. "Whoa, she's a feisty one." Pītā mocked, murderous eyes locking with humorous ones.

Kakashi chose not to take notice of the boy's antics, instead turning to face Naruto, who was oddly quiet for someone with such a big mouth. "I'm more concerned about Naruto than anyone else, if we are to continue this mission, we can't afford any hiccups along the way." The man reasoned, watching the blonde child bristle and practically growl at him.

The orange and blue Jinchūriki balled his fists, yelling back at his teacher. "What's that supposed to mean?!" It was clear he felt incredibly offended by his sensei's words, however indirectly insulting they were.

Kakashi took a step closer to the notorious prankster, as if testing him in some way. "It means that in order for us to successfully complete this mission, we can't have you freezing up every step of the way. You're a ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village, Naruto and I expect you to act like one." He ordered, a rare instance for the Shinobi in which his soothing voice raised a few decibels and grew sterner.

Pītā wasn't really sure how to react, chancing a glance at the only female present. "Should we be concerned?" The boy muttered, but failed to gain a response out of Sakura as she stared at the scene.

A Genin standing up to a Jōnin, gritted teeth and fire in his eyes. "I'm gonna make you eat those words, Kakashi-Sensei!" The boy bellowed up at his superior, his better in every way.

Kakashi stared back at untapped anger without any traces of fear or discomfort, his gaze simply intensified. The boy span around, breaking the electric eye contact after what seemed like ages and walked away from the scene. It was clear to his teammates, heck, to anybody that just happened to have been passing by, that the lad was angry.

He wasn't even angry at Kakashi, he was angry with himself. "I work so hard to get better, to get stronger, pushing myself to my limits. Training for hours alone, I try to do anything that will help me achieve my dream. I don't ever want to feel this way again for as long as I live, weak and helpless while my friends do all the work. I will never back down, never run away from a fight, and will always be there to help my friends when they need me. On this day, I make this pledge… believe it." Naruto passionately claimed, venting his frustration in the form of determination and grit.

Pītā felt a smile tug at his lips beneath his blue mask, throwing a sideways glance Kakashi's way. His thoughts were all but confirmed when the Jōnin winked back at him, nothing did the trick like a little reverse-psychology.

The experience ninja had pushed Naruto, berated him to the point that the boy had simply cracked and spilled all of his feelings and ambitions to his friends. Regardless of what other people thought of him, there was something great inside the young Genin and it simply needed a push to come to fruition.

The brunette then glanced at Tazuna; the man appeared to be more confused than anything else. "He's going to become Hokage," Pītā mumbled to him, receiving a vacant nod of the head in return.

Sakura wasn't sure what to say, except she knew that when Naruto set his mind to something, there was no deterring him. He was going to prove himself somehow, whether it killed him or he persevered though… that was yet to be determined.

The blonde boy span around and the aggressive grinding of pearly whites had been replaced by a resolved grin, looking more at home on Naruto's sunshine complexion. "Bridge builder, I'll complete this mission and protect you, even if it means laying down my life." The young ninja declared, Tazuna was simply too stunned to reply.

Pītā on the other hand, wasn't. "I wouldn't go that far, whiskers. This guy's gotta have… what, like three years left, tops?" The red and blue wall-crawler flippantly stated, feeling oddly good about himself in the process.

Tazuna was coherent enough to hear that jab though, turning on the shorter kid like a rabid dog. "What did you say to me, brat?" He talked down at him, unable to gauge the response he was looking for though.

Pītā simply stared up at him with a deadpan expression, pinkie finger rubbing the inside of his ear. "I said you're old, gramps. Was I not clear about that?" He snidely remarked, unable to keep the age jokes contained any longer.

Tazuna was about to respond, he'd never met such a disrespectful little punk in all his long years, but was halted in place by a firm hand. "I think that's quite enough of that, don't you? You too, Pītā." Kakashi nicked the dispute before it spiralled out of control, drawing a gruff sound of acknowledgment out of the bridge builder.

Pītā had to refrain from rolling his eyes, instead obeying his sensei and nodding. He didn't have any words to go with the action; he'd have been too tempted to pummel the old geezer with even more jokes. The brunette pushed the ten or so he had just thought up to the back of his mind, shoving his gloved hands in his pockets as he held his tongue.

Kakashi took one last look at the boy and then his senior, before he seemed satisfied. "It's decided then; Team 7 will follow through with the mission and guard you on your journey home. But considering the… complications that have hindered us thus far, I think we're due an explanation." The former ANBU captain stated, drawing a vague nod out of Tazuna.

The man seemed to be having trouble with that notion, perhaps an internal crisis of some sort. "Fine… I'll fill you in on the way," he relented, ultimately unable to deny the request of a Jōnin.

Kakashi offered him a friendly smile, though it went unseen due to the black mask covering his jaw. "After you," he gestured onwards, carefully watching as Tazuna set off.

The veteran of the Leaf Village turned his gaze on his pupils, each one appearing to have vastly different feelings on the matter of carrying out such a dangerous mission. Sakura's fears were to be expected, with her brow furrowed and lips curling towards a frown, she was clearly uneasy about the whole thing.

Naruto, having aired his thoughts and declared his goal to be the best, was eager to get on with it. The twenty something was pleased that the boy had ceased feeling sorry for himself, a little tough love was called for every now and again.

Pītā, much like Kakashi, appeared to feel indifferent on the matter. In fact, the spider had entered an intense staring contest with both of the Chūnin culprits, still adhered to the base of the tree by the boy's steel webbing.

Kakashi didn't know what to make of it; the Shinobi was looking to amuse himself by any means possible. "We'll join you in a moment, bridge builder." The man called out to him, before turning to his three students.

"What's wrong, sensei?" Sakura questioned, staring up at the man who practically towered over her.

The ninja simply brushed the question aside, his tone sinking into complete seriousness. "There's no cause for alarm, students, I assure you. I simply wished to show you something, something that I think will help shape your outlook on this life you've chosen for years to come." He cryptically answered, prompting the pre-teen girl to throw a look of mild confusion her teammates' way.

Pītā shrugged, finding the words odd yet subtly foreboding in some weird way. Naruto simply stared at his teacher; the young lad didn't have a clue as to what he was talking about. Finally, Kakashi was left alone with his pupils and the two missing-nin that had tried to kill them. They were simply glaring at the Jōnin, while the kids stared up at their teacher in mild confusion.

Probably wondering just why he'd called this little meeting, away from the prying eyes of an outsider, but that wonder soon turned to shocked realization as Kakashi slowly unsheathed a kunai knife from the holster strapped to his thigh.

The twelve year olds were at a loss for words, their breath catching in their throats for a solid second. "They tried to kill us; kids. Actually thought they'd succeeded in killing me, right in front of you, all to get to the bridge builder. He's the target, clearly. So you can be sure that they know every little thing about him, including where he's from. If we leave them, they'll—" Kakashi explained, as if trying to justify actions he hadn't even carried out yet.

Pītā held up his hands and nodded, the only one to respond verbally though his voice was meek and dejected. "Seek him there; probably kill his family too, if he has any." He admitted, sound thought breaking through layers of inner turmoil.

He felt bad enough having agreed with his sensei, but felt infinitely worse when Sakura and Naruto directed their eyes towards him, as if they couldn't believe what he had just said, what he was condoning.

The girl piped up first, her voice desperate and strained. "Sensei, this isn't right! They've been restrained; killing them now would be murder!" She appealed, unable to receive any sort of response from the elder ninja.

Naruto seemed to share the same headspace, genuinely surprised that Pītā was defending Kakashi's decision. "Yeah! This isn't the ninja way!" The blonde pleaded, joining Sakura's side as they stood against their teacher.

It was admirable, for them to stand by their ideals. But they didn't know, they had no clue as to how the world worked on the outside, it was survival of the fittest. Kakashi came to the conclusion yet again, that the Academy had drummed too many hopeful and peaceful sentiments into its graduates.

The life of a ninja was not a glamorous one, people respected you, yes, but the only reason they slept soundly at night was because of ninja willing to get their hands dirty. It wasn't a fairy tale, it wasn't the tale of a hero. Murderers, killers, thieves and rapists all had one thing in common.

They had to die.

"And you would know that how exactly? As I recall, this is your first time beyond the walls of Konoha. You're barely two weeks into being full-fledged ninja and you already think you have it all figured out, don't you? Well, you don't. You are my students and I am your sensei, it's my job to teach you how the world works so you don't all end up dead on your first day out. Am I understood?" Kakashi felt the need to raise his voice, reaching a volume he hadn't reached in quite some time.

He stood there expectantly, watching and waiting as Sakura was the first to cave and nod. Pītā followed her; he'd gone through the conundrum countless times in that manic mind of his and came to the same conclusion over and over again. They couldn't just let them go, that would've been incredibly irresponsible on their part.

The last one to relent was Naruto, bowing his head and nodding weakly. "Yes, sensei." The blonde mumbled, barely above a whisper as Kakashi was right, he didn't know how the world worked.

Kakashi saw the effect the kunai knife was having on Sakura and Pītā, just the ramifications of the weapon put them on edge. "I'm not asking you to do it; I would never force you into a position that required… this. You're Genin, and your Academy days aren't exactly a distant memory. It's hard, this path. The path of a Shinobi is one of extreme commitment, to your village, to your country and to your brothers and sisters-in-arms. Sometimes, difficult decisions must be made." The man reiterated, spinning the kunai in hand before he moved past his pupils and towards the two Chūnin.

Pītā heard the Jōnin crouch, and then there was nothing but dead silence. No warning on Kakashi's part and to their credit, no begging for their life on the part of the Chūnin. His extra sensitive ears twitched, and the boy heard a sound that he'd never forget for the rest of his life.

The sound of two heartbeats, rapid and relentless in their hammering away but soon slowing, losing the momentum as they simply failed. The sound of someone dying, of the last remaining flickers of life burning out, before being extinguished entirely.

It was haunting, it chilled Pītā to the bone as he stood there, facing away from the tree. His shoulders unimaginably tense and jaw clenched so tightly, he felt as though it would've shattered any second. It was at times like this that he cursed his abilities; his hearing was so acute that he heard the sound of a heavy liquid gurgling and spattering onto the sharp blades of grass around them.

Naruto and Sakura shared his disposition, they absolutely refused to look behind them, fear taking hold and forcing their eyes to remain locked on the treelines in the distance. The moment felt like hours, days, and even weeks had passed by. Lost in time, like tears in the rain.

There was no other option, his webbing wouldn't have lasted forever, the organic substance usually eroded after a few hours. Even if they hadn't pursued Tazuna to the Land of Waves, they probably would've gone on to hurt some other poor soul.

They were killers and it was there responsibility to handle it, that's all there was to it.

A firm hand found its way to Pītā's shoulder and the boy bristled, standing at attention like a noble soldier. "I wasn't sure you were ready for this yet, all three of you if I'm being totally honest. But when we were ambushed, you took initiative. You were scared; I could see the fear in your eyes, but you didn't let that stop you and you did what you had to. Pītā, you protected your friends and ensured that nobody was hurt. Sakura, you remembered the entire reason we're out here and selflessly shielded Tazuna." Kakashi commended, before he wiped down his kunai and returned it to its home on his leg.

Pītā didn't speak, the smart-mouth comments and quick-witted humour didn't seem appropriate for such a situation. "I realize that this is hard for you, and given your age, that's understandable. But that will change in time; it has to if you are to continue on this path. I'm telling you this because there will come a point, sometime in your future, it might even be tomorrow, that will call on you to do what I just did." Their senior predicted, stating it with such certainty that it scared the trio.

The red and blue one swallowed hard, finally tilting his head upwards and towards his teacher. "Is it hard?" Pītā questioned, actually causing Kakashi to ponder for a moment as Naruto and Sakura waited with silent anticipation.

He felt as though he had to choose his words very carefully, he didn't want to give them the impression that he was a cold-blooded killer after all. "The actual act? No, it isn't hard. Living with yourself after the deed is done? That's a different beast altogether, because whether you've purposefully killed an enemy in war or accidentally killed an opponent in a tournament, it's still the same thing. You can justify it all you want; but taking a human life is taking a human life." Kakashi spoke, nothing but truth woven within his hard hitting words.

The rookies absorbed the wisdom their teacher had to offer, before feeling themselves being guided away from the tree and further into the clearing. "You have to start trusting me, students. If there's no trust between us, then this team will not work, it's as simple as that." Kakashi imparted to his young pupils, leaving behind a horrifically violent scene at the base of an unsuspecting oak tree.

* * *

Hours passed by, long, quiet hours. None of the Genin had uttered a word, not a peep in their journey. Tazuna welcomed the silence; it was a nice change of pace amongst the continuous natter of children. Though he didn't understand why they were so quiet, it was odd to say the least. Especially considering he was being guarded by one of the most headstrong, loud-mouthed kid he'd ever met, and his little friend was no better either, a smart aleck with a tongue that was going to get him in trouble one day.

Something had happened, that much was obvious. Bad or good, the man wasn't sure. Judging by the way the students would glance at their teacher every now and then, quickly finding something else more interesting as he'd lock eyes with them; it was between the pupils and their mysterious sensei.

Still, it wasn't his problem. His problem was getting home in one piece and actually managing to finish the grand bridge he was building. One of the many things he had related to the Leaf Ninja on their slow and careful boat ride across the ocean, from the mainland to the impoverished gathering of islands known as the Land of Waves, pertained to getting the bridge finished post haste.

Kakashi, the silver haired one who actually seemed competent, had been insistent about knowing the details of the new mission they'd found themselves tasked with. Tazuna told him and his students what he'd suspected all along, that somebody was trying to have him killed.

That somebody, according to the old man, was Gato, the very same man who was counted among the wealthiest in the world. He apparently sought Tazuna's life due to the project he was working on, a bridge that would connect the Land of Waves to the mainland, thus severing the hold Gato seemed to have on the water nation.

Kakashi was sceptical, but it did make sense in retrospect. Naruto simply listened without input; he just wanted to know who the bad guy was and how they were going to defeat him. A sort of 'not if, but when' situation. Sakura concluded that the man needed to be stopped, and Pītā simply scoffed, sighting the large terror over the people of the Wave to be nothing but a coward, hiding behind his patsy thugs.

The quintet of mismatched travellers made the jump from the water to dry land, taking in the almost alien spectacle of the Land of Waves as they did so. Kakashi saw it on his kid's faces, the absolute wonder and awe. He was almost envious, the way children so young saw the magic and excitement in everything.

He wasn't quite sure when he'd begun to see the world in dim varying shades of grey, perhaps he'd always possessed that mind-set. The elite Jōnin shrugged the thought off; it wasn't wise to let the mind wonder on a mission, especially on a B-Rank mission. Also, since when had he started referring to his team as 'his kids'?

Having journeyed past the vast water ways and dockland of the entrance to the Wave, Squad 7 were a little disappointed to be met with the sight of even more plant life, forests stretching as far as the eye could see. It was still beautiful, but it was no different to the sprawling wood surrounding Konoha.

"Be on your guard, students. We're not on home turf anymore," Kakashi advised the trio, shaking them from whatever thoughts might have been racing through their youthful minds.

A part of him was hesitant as he received three nods in quick succession, the silver haired ninja realized that what he'd shown them, what he'd subjected them to at such a young age was necessary but… there was still a part of him deep down that doubted himself. He wasn't their father, he wasn't anyone's father. He was their sensei and it was his responsibility to show them how the world worked… still, he was human and human beings had a nasty habit of second guessing themselves.

Pītā immediately halted, his gaze focused and locked on a seemingly innocent bush a few feet away. "What is it, Pītā?" Kakashi questioned his astute pupil, watching him carefully in an attempt to learn more about the boy's indecipherably sharp senses.

Sakura and Naruto were a little perplexed themselves, until they too saw movement, the leaves of the bush shaking and rattling with life. While they grew tense and prepared, Kakashi himself was a little on edge; Pītā relaxed and let his fingers uncurl out of the fist they'd been making.

"Just a rabbit," the red and blue Shinobi mumbled, and lo and behold, an ice white rabbit hopped out of the bushes and into their path.

Kakashi nodded, watching the woodland critter patter across the dirt trail and into the opposite foliage of the forest. "How did you know that?" Kakashi glanced down towards his students and found a curious Sakura, her pink brow furrowed as she forced the question onto Pītā.

The boy shrugged and Kakashi knew that whatever came out of his mouth, was not going to be the truth. "Just a hunch, don't worry about it." He brushed off the girl's digging but she didn't appear convinced, folding her arms in the meantime.

Kakashi had noticed that it was something she did when trying to assert herself, it rarely if ever worked on Pītā. "What's the big deal? All he did was spot a rabbit, I could've done that too." Naruto waded into the dispute; unaware of the subtle staring contest Sakura and Pītā were engaged in.

Kakashi was about to dispel the tension when Pītā did it for him, throwing a sly wink the Kunoichi's way. It worked wonders, and for reasons untold, Sakura found herself tearing her gaze away from the boy with the faintest trace of a blush.

The silver haired Jōnin had wised up to the boy's antics, there was definitely something he wasn't telling him or his teammates. In fact, the little spat had distracted Kakashi from what he should have been focusing on. The sheer misplacement of a snow rabbit in a forest area had slipped by Kakashi's radar, if it hadn't been for his students bickering, he might've caught it.

Pītā's spider-sense tingled, sounding off like an alarm at the base of his skull. He was about to yell at his party to get down on the ground, but held his tongue as Kakashi had beaten him to it. All five travellers, four ninja and a modest if rough bridge builder, hit the deck hard but still alive.

A sword, sword being a bit of an understatement, went spinning overhead like an oversized shuriken. The blade itself was massive, easily broader than each of the Genin and definitely taller. It slammed into the sturdy bark of an oak tree, the plant life just about able to withstand being sliced in two.

A figure appeared on the bulky hilt of the blade, standing with his arms crossed and fierce eyes staring down at the unsuspecting ninja. They rose to their feet and Kakashi was pleased to see his three students instinctively back up and surrounding Tazuna, the sole purpose of their mission was to preserve his life after all.

The masked ninja then directed his attention to the scarcely dressed newcomer, and simply based on his appearance alone, Kakashi knew who the man was. With bandages wrapped around a narrow jawline, a forehead protector skewed to the side of his head and belts and straps the only thing decorating his torso, Kakashi had heard of this monstrosity.

A missing-nin from Kirigakure, the Village Hidden in the Mist. The man was a terror, a literal demon incarnate judging by his oddly appropriate nickname. Kakashi merely stuffed his hands into his pockets and kept his composure, the man's physique made him look scrawny in comparison.

"Zabuza Momochi… a little far from home, aren't we?" Kakashi greeted the rogue ninja, deeming it safe enough to utter his real name.

The aforementioned Zabuza simply grunted in response, gazing past Kakashi to set his sights on his target. "Could say the same about you, Kakashi. That's your name, isn't it? Kakashi Hatake, the famed Copy Ninja of Konoha. I'd be impressed, if you weren't babysitting." Zabuza mocked, failing to unsettle the ever collected Kakashi.

Naruto on the other hand, growled as he shook his fist at the impossibly large man. "Why don't you come down here and say that?!" He challenged, prompting the demon to give a hefty chuckle.

Kakashi held his hand out, miming for Naruto to stop. "Do not take another step, Naruto. I mean it." Their teacher ordered, never once taking his eyes off of the grey skinned ninja above.

For once, Naruto heeded his teacher's words and stayed within the ranks of his pre-teen teammates. "This isn't the time to try and prove yourself, not against the Demon of the Hidden Mist." Kakashi revealed to his students, though in all honesty, it presented more questions than answers.

Zabuza relaxed, slipping out of his solid stance to crouch on the hilt of his sword. "Ah, kids wetting themselves, music to my ears." He chimed, giving a razor sharp grin beneath his bandaged mask.

Kakashi held his ground between the missing-nin and his squad; he wasn't going to let the rogue do anything to them. "Kids, this man is well above your pay grade. I will face him; your sole purpose is to protect the bridge builder. Do not interfere in this fight, that is an order." The Leaf veteran commanded, prompting his students to compress themselves a little tighter.

So tight in fact, that Sakura had hooked Pītā's arm, the brunette doing the same to Naruto. They simply nodded, and Tazuna actually felt a little useless, having to rely on a bunch of kids to protect him. To his credit, he too readied himself for whatever was thrown his way, though how much good it'd do him was debatable.

Especially if the foe in question was as dangerous as Kakashi kept making him out to be…

"You think you're man enough to take me alone?" The demon pressed Kakashi, staring down at him like a superior would to their lesser.

Kakashi answered with an action, not a verbal reply. He moved his hand up to his face and actually began to slide his forehead protector up and off of his covered eye, for reasons unknown to the Genin. With his back to them, the three ninja couldn't see what Zabuza could but they'd have been lying if they said they weren't curious.

The three of them had never once seen Kakashi with his mask off, they'd never once seen his full face. For what reason, they didn't know. Scars, deformities, perhaps the reason wasn't physical at all. He must have had a good reason for hiding his face, but the trio couldn't see someone as calm and collected as their sensei suffering from image issues.

Perhaps he was trying to hide whatever it was he'd just shown Zabuza, but to his credit, the muscular Shinobi didn't seem too worried. "The Sharingan… lucky me," he gruffly muttered, taking in the rare sight before him.

Kakashi's left eye was a complete different colour to his right; the iris was a deep red and was decorated by three black teardrops surrounding a black pupil. "Sharingan… what the heck's that?" Naruto felt the need to ask, turning to his comrades for the answer.

Sakura had read up on the ability, it was a rare eye technique that the Uchiha-Clan possessed. "The Sharingan is a form of Dōjutsu, an ability that manifests in the eyes. It lets the user see and detect distinct forms of Chakra, namely when used in Genjutsu, Taijutsu and Ninjutsu. But… I thought it was exclusive to the Uchiha-Clan, how can Kakashi-Sensei have it?" She found herself confused on the matter, which confused Naruto even further.

In all honesty, Pītā couldn't have cared less. "I think we have more important things to worry about than some sparkly eye trick, jungle boy over here's not going away anytime soon." The red and blue ninja reminded his friends, watching as Kakashi continued to stand off with Zabuza.

The rogue ninja with a frightening past rose to his full height, and Kakashi knew ahead of time that he was going to make his move. "Talk is cheap and I've got a job to do, if I have to go through you to get to the old man then so be it." Zabuza warned the Jōnin, before disappearing completely, his giant embedded sword vanishing in a blur of motion.

As soon as the man had blinked out of existence, a thick and clouded mist began to set in. "Hold your position, students. I'm right here; keep calm and everything will be all right." Kakashi assured his three charges, his mismatched grey and red eyes scanning the area for any sign of his opponent.

The Genin obeyed their teacher's words; they'd never seen him so focused before. His usual heavy-lidded expression had been replaced with one of extreme awareness, his entire body language almost alien in its appearance. He was rigid, tense as hell as he readied himself for a fight. Sakura, Naruto and Pītā had to wonder what kind of secrets the man was keeping.

Pītā's curiosity was getting the better of him, he was having trouble simply staying in a single spot let alone holding his tongue. "Okay, I gotta ask, who the heck is this wacko?" The energetic boy let slip, but received concurring nods from Sakura and Naruto.

They wanted to know just as much as he did, the way Kakashi kept talking about him made him sound like a big deal. "He's a disgraced ninja, the ex-leader of the Hidden Mist Assassination Unit. Above all else, watch each other's backs. He's a master of the silent killing technique, a strategy he enacts without sound or warning. Even highly experienced ninja fall prey to it and the Sharingan cannot fully neutralize it, it's that fast." The Jōnin explained, stunning his pupils.

Wide-eyed and petrified, it was safe to say that the stakes were fairly high. "So… no pressure then," Pītā breathed, though even he, with a built-in early warning system, was a little on edge.

Without warning, the mist swirling and surrounding the boxed-in group began to grow thicker and thicker, practically rendering everything a ghostly shade of white. "The mist… I can't see two feet in front of me!" Naruto lamented, his shaking hand holding a kunai at the ready.

They were all nervous, which only intensified when the mist grew so thick that Kakashi had all but disappeared from their sight. "Sensei!" Sakura yelled, fear and worry fraught on her features.

She felt a tug of the arm and was reminded that Pītā was right beside her, pretty much the next best thing to Kakashi himself. "Don't worry; he won't get near enough to touch you." Pītā told her, the confidence and conviction in his voice betraying the seeds of fear and doubt growing within him.

They were just Genin after all, and this was their very first mission. Something which proved hard to believe due to the sheer amount of danger they'd been exposed to, it was easy to forget that it was all Naruto's fault too… but that was neither here nor there.

Pītā's spider-sense began to chime, not a full on blast to his senses just yet but enough to have his entire body seize up. "Eight points," a voice split through the mist, reaching the three Genin's adolescent ears.

It was gruff, held a viciousness to it that they'd never encountered before and seemed to have been coming at them from all sides. "Larynx, spine, lungs, liver, jugular, subclavian artery, kidneys and the heart." The voice of Zabuza, the voice of a demon, listed off.

Pītā was having a hard time placing him; the mist was interfering with every one of his senses. "You have way too much time on your hands, dude." He mocked, hoping to at least coax the guy into showing himself.

Unfortunately, as his spider-sense knocked him for a loop, that's exactly what the rogue did. It happened in a tenth of a second, the entire world slowing down just enough to give Pītā a full three hundred and sixty degree view of everything. Zabuza had somehow blinked into existence, right in the middle of the Genin, directly between them and Tazuna.

Pītā saw, sensed even, that Kakashi was already on the move, headed straight for the missing-nin. But the boy didn't wait for his sensei to get there and solve the problem; he didn't like the way Zabuza was reaching for his gargantuan sword.

A tenth of a second, that was all it took to move Sakura, Naruto and Tazuna out of harm's way. To the untrained eye, Pītā hadn't even moved. But to ninja of Kakashi and Zabuza's level, they'd witnessed tremendous speed. Zabuza had been so preoccupied with gawking at the kid in red and blue that he failed to catch the kunai in his stomach, courtesy of one silver haired copy ninja.

But just like Kakashi's bell test, defeating the demon seemed a little too easy for the Genin's liking. True to form, when water began to seep out of the wound in place of blood, the phenomena simply confirmed what they'd suspected. The real Zabuza appeared behind Kakashi as the water clone simply lost its form, splashing to the dirt ground.

A clean swipe of the giant sword and Kakashi had been split in half, only for water to spray every which way. "I think this game of cat and mouse is over, don't you?" Kakashi asked, his voice once again calm and collected in its delivery.

Holding a kunai against Zabuza's throat, the Jōnin had him beat dead to rights. "Even in the mist, you managed to copy my Water Clone Jutsu. You don't disappoint, I'll give you that." The Hidden Mist deserter admitted, a slight hint of… possibly admiration for the copy ninja.

A grey and red eye simply narrowed in response to his words, but grew confused when the man began to quietly chuckle. "But the game isn't over until I say it is," a voice spoke, practically right into Kakashi's ear.

The silver haired teacher didn't bother watching the clone in front of him disperse but instead turned to see a razor sharp blade swinging right at him, what he thought to be the real Zabuza had gotten the drop on him. Instinctively, he ducked and felt a cool rush of air breeze by his wild silver hair, a few strands flittering away as they'd been cut.

"Okay, this is getting ridiculous." Pītā noted, quite frankly growing a little tired of the constant use of water clones.

Disobeying his teacher's wishes and his own common sense, Pītā leaped into the fray. Without a word, he lashed out a leg and struck Zabuza's shin, right as he was about to knock Kakashi for a loop with his foot. The spider caught an oversized fist flying his way; he felt surprising resistance from the rogue but reasoned that the man must have been fairly strong to carry such a large weapon constantly.

Regardless, Zabuza stumbled backwards after receiving a set of knuckles to the jaw. The punch was strong, one of the strongest punches he'd ever taken and even then, he felt the restraint in the blow. The kid, one of Kakashi's brats, was a tough customer.

Zabuza had to compose himself; he'd never expected someone so small to pack such a punch. "Reds and blues, don't know why I didn't see it earlier. Too star struck by your precious teacher, I suppose. You're a spider, right? You'd have to be, the way you move." Granted, he'd never actually seen one in action but the stories he'd heard were nothing short of impressive.

Legendary strength and speed, unparalleled agility and dexterity, and some of the most formidable Taijutsu fighters had been spiders. No matter how different they were, they all had one thing in common.

They garbed themselves in red and blue, probably some sacred clan tradition. "What's it to you, Mochi? Can I call you Mochi? You know what, I'm not even gonna ask, it's totally a thing now." Pītā snarked back at the towering man, finding Kakashi back on his feet.

Zabuza growled, that was another thing he'd read. Apparently, they all thought they were comedians. But he restrained himself, he didn't want to rush into things head on, he wanted to at least learn a little bit beforehand. He'd never killed a spider before, and it was considered quite a feat, even for one so young.

"I heard your kind died out years ago, what's it like being all alone?" Zabuza mocked the boy, watching with a hidden smirk as he balled his fists and narrowed his eyes.

Before he could retaliate, the spider found Kakashi forcing him aside. "That's none of your concern, demon. Pītā, this isn't your fight. Interfere again and there will be consequences," the man warned but truthfully, he didn't want his first ever team to be his last ever team.

Pītā wisely stepped back to join Sakura and Naruto, but not without glaring at Zabuza fiercely. What got him even more agitated was the wink the man threw him, as if tempting him to defy his sensei and throw down.

"Forgive my student; he can be a little… brash at times. Now, where were we?" Kakashi queried, his Sharingan analysing each and every one of Zabuza's movements as the rogue ninja rushed him.

A diagonal slash of his cumbersome sword and Kakashi found himself side-stepping the blade, drawing a kunai and attempting to run his enemy through. Despite his size, Zabuza proved to be quite fast, quickly bringing his blade in close to deflect the kunai.

Steel sparked against steel and Zabuza's superior strength caught Kakashi off-guard, unbalancing the Jōnin. He found himself on the receiving end of a dull blow to the side of the head, the hilt of Zabuza's sword proving just as effective as the blade itself. It wasn't quite enough to knock Kakashi out, but it sent the man spinning.

Despite the setback, he managed to let fly a horizontal slice of death in the form of several kunai. "Child's play," Zabuza muttered, and with one massive stroke, batted away each and every razor-tipped projectile headed for him.

Pītā had to ping a few mid-air with a couple globs of webbing, halting their momentum immediately as they ricocheted in the direction of the three Genin and Tazuna. "How would you say this is going so far? I'm curious, on a scale of one to ten." Pītā jested, voicing his frustration in the form of a joke.

Naruto found himself agreeing, he was getting tired of being side-lined. "We could beat him much quicker if Kakashi-Sensei would just let us help," he added, though wasn't sure how he'd fair against such a dangerous opponent.

Sakura however, proved to be the voice of reason among a chorus of insanity. "You heard what Kakashi-Sensei said, Zabuza is too skilled for us to fight. Besides, our teacher's an elite Jōnin and even possesses the Sharingan. I'm pretty sure he knows what he's doing," she concluded, earning a nod of the head from Tazuna too.

Pītā's spider-sense alerted him to someone in danger nearby, very nearby actually. The boy, and his pink and blonde haired friends, turned to witness their teacher kicked clear across the clearing and into a large lake nearby. Kakashi hit the water in a small show of geyser-like proportions and disappeared from view, submerging below a curtain of freezing cold water and smog-like mist.

Pītā turned to a distraught Sakura and equally shocked Naruto, cocking a thumb at the battle transpiring some distance away. "You were saying?" He rhetorically queried, though it fell on deaf ears as his teammates were simply wide eyed and terrified.

As their teacher surfaced, soaked to death and unable to manoeuvre in the water, Zabuza seized the opportunity and began cycling through a series of hand signs. "Water Prison Jutsu!" Zabuza called out, able to stand on the very surface of the water as if he weighed nothing at all.

Within an instant, a swirling and ever moving orb of crystal blue water absorbed Kakashi, rendering the Jōnin absolutely incapable of doing anything. "I'm a little disappointed, after hearing so much about the great Kakashi, I honestly thought you'd put up a much better fight than… this." Zabuza expressed his distaste, turning away from the defunct ninja as he held him in his water prison with one hand.

"Now, what to do with the kids?" He wondered to himself, predatory eyes narrowing as they scanned the three Genin.

Snapping his fingers, Zabuza chuckled as an idea hit him. "Nothing like a bit of multi-tasking, Water Clone Jutsu!" He yelled out, holding the two forefingers of his free hand up to his face.

On command, a shape made of liquid began to rise and take form, stepping out of the lake like some kind of elemental sea monster. Colour faded into view and the shape sharpened itself out, eventually perfectly resembling the demonic form of the Demon of the Hidden Mist.

Speaking of mist, the dense fog surrounding the area once again intensified and the water clone vanished into its cover. "Raise your hand if you weren't expecting to die today," Pītā jested, though had to react when his spider-sense jolted his brain.

A foot lashed out of the mist, a foot so big it practically dwarfed the Genin's head. It was headed for a stunned Naruto, too fast for the blonde to even comprehend it. Pītā caught it, saving the orange clad ninja a sandal print to the face. With narrowed eyes, the brunette blocked the follow-up strike, batting it away with an elbow before he brought both hands up.

As if he were clapping, Pītā slammed both of his open palms on either side of the clone's head. "Water melon, meet rock." He jested, water bursting and spraying all over him and Naruto as he effectively crushed its head.

A shrill whistle shook Naruto out of his reverie, forcing him to turn his attention to Pītā. "Pinstripes over there has our sensei hostage, you made an oath? Time to honour it, skippy." The Shukeikō heir told the boy, earning a hesitant nod.

Chocolate coloured eyes found their way to emerald green; a bewildered look was cast across Sakura's complexion. "Sakura, you too. I don't care who this punk is, we're not leaving our sensei to die." The pink haired Kunoichi simply mimicked Naruto and gave a nod of the head.

She felt a little breathless; she'd never seen Pītā use his powers in such a brutal way. When he was lifting really heavy things, it was superhuman strength. But when he was employing it in such a savage way, using it to completely dismantle a person, even if said person was a water clone… she didn't know how to respond.

Naruto was simply reminded of the pledge he'd made, he didn't want anybody to have to rescue him again. He was a ninja of the Leaf for crying out loud, he was supposed to take care of himself. His uncertainty and insecurity slowly morphed into a steady resolve, Pītā had his back, there was no doubt about it.

The Jinchūriki balled his fists and widened his stance, destroying water clones was all well and good but they needed to get to the genuine article at some point. "My my, if I didn't know any better, I'd say the little spider boy has an intent to kill. And here I thought all Leaf ninja were soft," Zabuza observed, recalling a little bit of his childhood.

He remembered such brutality; he'd been the one to enforce it. A single child, not even a student at the Kirigakure Academy, just wandered in and slaughtered over one hundred potential candidates as future ninja. He believed that was where the moniker had come from, Demon of the Hidden Mist. It made sense in retrospect; he'd shown no mercy at the tender age of nine.

Naruto took a step forward, his teeth gritted and fists shaking. "Leaf ninja aren't soft! We're the most honourable ninja out there, believe it!" He claimed, defending himself and his home village.

Zabuza let himself give a hearty laugh, confusing the boy to no end. "Ninja… you believe yourself to be ninja, eh? Funny, I thought the privilege had to be earned, not handed out to every idiot child chasing a dream. When I was your age, I'd already killed countless ninja. I'd already skirted the line between life and death, too many times to keep track of. You're upstarts, children dressed in their parent's clothes, pretending to be something you're not. Don't talk to me about being a ninja, kid." He told the brash child, silencing him completely.

Pītā on the other hand, chose not to listen to it. "Are you done? Man, I was dozing off there for a second; you're more effective than a warm glass of milk." He mocked, prompting Zabuza to bring his index and middle finger to his face yet again.

He didn't bother yelling the technique the second time around, instead wordlessly manifesting yet another water clone. Kakashi attempted to yell out, plumes of bubbles escaping from his mouth as he was reminded that he was still technically underwater. The Jōnin, an elite ninja, could only look on as his students faced an opponent far beyond their weight class.

The water clone wordlessly rushed the boy dressed in red and blue, foregoing any Taijutsu and simply brandishing its massive sword. "That's a big pig sticker," Pītā muttered to himself, dancing around the blade in an effortless show of agility and grace.

Possessing clearly above average strength, the rogue copy swung with all its might, showcasing impressive speed too. "Hold still, boy! You won't feel a thing, I swear!" Zabuza shouted as he watched his clone press the young Shinobi, though was a little perturbed by the kid's reflexes.

So far, the boy had been true to everything he'd read of a spider. "Yeah, somehow, I'm just not buying it." Pītā remarked, landing on the wide blade itself and using his powers of adhesion to stay put.

For a moment, the water clone was a little confused. "Up top, Mochi." Pītā whistled, catching his attention before a glob of webbing blinded the elemental creation.

Something hard connected with its jaw, dislocating—no, shattering it completely. The water clone crumpled to the ground, minus the lower part of its bandage covered mouth. It lost its form, the liquid sinking into the dirt beneath to provide a little sustenance for the flora.

He landed, having made short work of the carbon copy. "What next, pal? And please do not summon another—" Pītā was about to complain, when yet another replicated image of Zabuza stood in front of him.

"Ugh, really starting to hate these things." The wall-crawler mumbled, rolling his brown eyes as he evaded the swift steel embrace of Zabuza's sword.

Watching the arachnid keep the clone busy, Naruto's mind started to piece things together. Usually, the mindscape of the lad was occupied with formulating practical jokes and the various ways he'd try to woe Sakura, but he was putting it to a more worthy cause.

Freeing their sensei…

Naruto yanked the rucksack off of his shoulder and began to rummage through it, brushing aside everything in his path until he found the intended item. "Sakura! While Pītā distracts the clone, we can use this!" He yelled, throwing the weapon over to the girl.

Despite her small and lithe frame, the Kunoichi caught it and watched with wonder as it began to unfurl into its actual size. "Whoa, what is this?" Sakura questioned, green eyes gazing in awe as the weapon in question resembled a shuriken.

Only, it was much larger and much deadlier. "Demon Wind Shuriken! I have a plan!" He exclaimed, clearly confident in his abilities.

So confident in fact, that it prevented Sakura from voicing her doubts. "I'm with you, Naruto." She nodded with a determined smile, as he carefully and silently relayed the plan of attack to her.

Kakashi waited and wondered just what his students were cooking up, Pītā was performing quite well and was making the water clone look like an amateur. Glancing to his left, he noticed that Zabuza was also trying to figure out just what his kids had up their sleeves. They were an inventive bunch, and he was actually starting to believe that they'd survive the encounter with the demon ninja.

Pītā dodged and weaved, staying on the defensive as the clone pressured him. "Anytime now would be great, whiskers!" He called out; he didn't want to destroy the clone just yet, he wasn't sure whether it would've affected Naruto's plan.

Sakura nodded having heard the play, brandishing the larger than life shuriken with renewed confidence. "Whenever you're ready, Naruto." She let him know, eyes focused on their enemy and the hostage he was holding.

Naruto took a moment to fix his forehead protector; it had been knocked slightly askew at some point in the tussle. "Let's save our sensei," he stated, pure determination lacing his usually goofy voice.

And just like that, Sakura winded back and let the Demon Wind Shuriken fly. "I was expecting something a little more complicated than simply throwing something at me," Zabuza expressed his mild disappointment, watching the projectile slice its way through the mist and towards him.

It was tense for the brief few seconds the weapon was airborne, blades spinning at an unprecedented speed towards their target. Zabuza caught the damn thing without a word, without breaking a sweat in fact. For a moment, Tazuna, Kakashi and Pītā swallowed hard. All those not in on the plan had seriously thought that their big gamble had been swatted aside, that they were out of options.

Until they spotted the second shuriken following up the first, finding Zabuza at a severe disadvantage. "Hiding in the shadow of the first… of course," the missing-nin muttered to himself, but didn't miss a beat as he leaped over certain death.

Both Sakura and Naruto smirked; everyone else hadn't even caught on yet. A plume of smoke gave them a hint, as Naruto replaced the second spinning shuriken and launched a kunai at Zabuza's back, still sailing over the chilly water of the lake.

Still suspended in mid-air, Zabuza barely had enough time to manoeuvre and yanked his arm out of the way of the kunai. It grazed him as it passed, a spritz of blood spraying into the water below. That was the least of his worries however, as the arm he'd been forced to move had been the very same one holding the copy ninja in place.

The water sphere dropped back into the lake below and Kakashi rose to stand, thankful to breathe oxygen once again. Using the miniature plate of steel on one of his fingerless gloves, Kakashi blocked the shuriken that Zabuza had intended to throw at Naruto. The boy unceremoniously hit the water but exploded into a plume of smoke, letting everybody know that it was indeed just a shadow clone.

Zabuza remained silent; he'd been embarrassingly outsmarted by a snot-nosed brat. Kakashi had to commend such a well thought out plan, especially considering the boy who had thought of it was Naruto himself.

"I must admit, I had my doubts. But that was a genius move, Naruto." Kakashi admitted, though his grey and red eyes were still fixed on a clearly agitated Zabuza.

The blonde demon host beamed in response, he could get used to being called a genius. "I knew I couldn't take him one-on-one, so I just wanted to get him to drop the hold he had on you. I pulled out the real Demon Wind Shuriken and while Pītā distracted the water clone, I disguised a shadow clone as another shuriken." He explained, folding his arms in pride as Sakura simply rolled her eyes.

Pītā, still dancing with the water clone in question, breezed underneath a Herculean swing of its sword. "Well, that just blew my mind." He commented, elbowing the clone in the collar bone.

"Pītā, dispose of the water clone." Kakashi ordered his student, as if it were as easy as a simple command.

Pītā obliged in kind, spinning on the spot to bring his foot around and knock its head clean off its shoulders. "Thought you'd never ask," he remarked, joining Sakura and Naruto as they guarded the bridge builder.

Kakashi on the other hand, squared off against Zabuza once again. "Let's see you try that technique one more time," he challenged, unwilling to fall for the same trick twice.

He wasn't going to make the same mistake again, elite Jōnin's never did. Zabuza didn't respond, he simply chuckled before folding the shuriken and applying three times the pressure on Kakashi. Despite the increase in weight, Kakashi summoned enough strength to swipe the shuriken away from the fight, sending it slicing through the air.

Simultaneously, like a pre-planned dance routine, the two Jōnin's leaped away from one another and began cycling through countless hand signs. The Genin and simple bridge builder could only look on in wonder as they landed, still walking on water as if it were nothing while they completed their hand signs.

Two pillars of streaming water exploded out of the mist covered lake, slowly twisting and morphing into a pair of majestic water dragons. "Water Style: Water Dragon Jutsu!" Both parties exclaimed, using the Chakra created weapons to battle one another.

"I bet that's popular at birthdays," Pītā murmured, though didn't admit that he was completely taken by the imagery.

Sakura and Naruto were preoccupied with simply staring at the water creatures; they'd never seen something so beautiful and absolutely dangerous at the same time. "They're using Ninjutsu against one another!" She recognized, as the dragons clashed and fought.

They collided, water thrashing with water and managed to unbalance the previously still waters of the lake. A small tidal wave hit shore and washed by the trio of Academy graduates and their charge, prompting them to guard against the powerful current. When the water show died down, the students saw that their teacher was engaged in a contest of strength with his opponent.

A giant sword struggling to break through the defence of a single kunai knife, it was almost unheard of. They weren't really sure what to make of it, but Zabuza looked like he was slowly losing his mind. They broke contact once again and circled one another on the water's still surface, before halting and facing each other for the umpteenth time.

Zabuza moved, so did Kakashi. "He's… copying every move he makes," Naruto observed, soaking wet from head to toe.

The group of students watched as both Jōnin raised their left arms whilst bringing their right hands up to their faces. "He's not just copying him, he's moving at the exact same time Zabuza is." Sakura pointed out, nothing but fascination present on her face.

Pītā wasn't sure how that was possible, his spider-sense gave him the ability to think and react ahead of his opponent but to his knowledge, the Sharingan did not. Speaking of the spider-sense, the danger warning alerted Pītā to another presence.

A presence the boy was not familiar with, stood some distance away in the tall oak trees of the surrounding forest. He could feel the eyes on him, probably watching them as well as the psychological battle waging on the lake's deep blue surface. He chose not to pay it any heed, to allow the newcomer to think that they had the upper hand.

Back with Kakashi and Zabuza, the rogue Mist ninja was becoming increasingly disturbed. The Sharingan ninja wasn't just copying him anymore, like a cheap knockoff. He wasn't even imitating him perfectly, he was moving in perfect tandem with him, muscle for muscle and thought for thought.

It was almost as if he knew what he was—

"Going to do next?" Kakashi finally spoke, stunning Zabuza to the point of silence.

The Sharingan read movements, not minds. Just how was he pulling it off? That eye of his, that glowing red eye, staring at him and analysing every single thing he did. Like an ant under a magnifying glass, completely at the mercy of the user.

Kakashi knew, he could tell that it was getting to him. "A little unsettled, demon?" He asked, the irony evident in his voice.

Effectively angry, Zabuza growled as he began to cycle through even more hand signs. "Water Style: Giant Vortex Jutsu!" Kakashi bellowed, beating the vicious missing-nin to the punch.

Zabuza froze in place; he'd performed the Jutsu before he could. The silver haired veteran's Sharingan began to activate, the black teardrops spinning faster and faster around his pupil until they were nothing but a blur. Right on cue, an arch of water formed around Kakashi before growing in size and volume.

It exploded, the force behind it incredible enough to knock the towering man right off of his feet. A tunnelled vortex, directly aimed at Zabuza, carried him ashore and well into the clearing. Once again, the three Genin and the bridge builder were left speechless as Kakashi whipped out yet another highly skilled trick.

The rapid water raged on for what felt like hours, until it carried Zabuza straight into the trunk of a grounded tree. His body shook as it struck the solid organic surface, rendering him almost unable to stand. The pain wasn't over as several kunai found themselves lodged in his arms and legs, effectively pinning him against the base of the tree.

As the unnatural phenomenon dispersed, so too did the water. Zabuza raised his head shakily to find the copy ninja himself standing in front of him, eyes half lidded but that damn Sharingan still haunting him.

"You—you saw into the future, you must have! It's the only explanation!" Zabuza claimed, attempting to explain his defeat at the hands of the Jōnin.

Kakashi decided to indulge the man, playing on his fears a little bit. "I did see into the future, this is your last battle." He threatened, drawing yet another kunai to carry out the dirty but necessary deed.

Pītā's spider-sense erupted and he snapped his head to the left, following what looked like two senbon needles with his eyes. "Umm…" he wasn't sure how to respond, they were headed for Zabuza, not his sensei.

They hit their target, embedding themselves deep within the massive man's neck. Blood sprayed and he hit the floor like dead weight, gaping bloody holes in his arms and legs. It was a ghastly sight, one that almost urged the three Genin to look away… almost.

A figure, the very same figure Pītā had detected before, revealed themselves with a quiet chuckle. "You were right, it was his last battle." They wore a green haori with white trimmings, covering a brown pinstriped outfit which stopped at the knees.

Because of this, the stranger was a little hard to place. They were short, suggesting a young age and had very pale skin. Their physique almost appeared feminine but it was too tough to be sure with such baggy clothing, their voice was definitely too soft to be male, lacking the brashness of a young boy's voice. Long dark bangs framed a white and red hunter-nin mask, the painted on facial features suggesting a playful nature

Kakashi ignored the mysterious newcomer for a moment, crouching down to check up on the supposedly recently deceased Zabuza. He pressed two of his fingers against the man's neck and Pītā even listened out for a heartbeat just to be sure, both ninja felt and heard nothing.

Perched high in the trees, the hunter-nin bowed in a show of respect to Kakashi. "Forgive my intrusion, but I've been tracking Zabuza for quite some time." The enigma explained, earning a look of scepticism from the copy ninja.

Grey and red eyes narrowed, he found the entire situation somewhat convenient. "Your mask suggests that you're a tracker ninja from the Village Hidden in the Mist," Kakashi deduced, recognizing the four wavy lines of Kirigakure etched into the mask's forehead.

The tracker nodded, impressed by the veteran's intimate knowledge of other ninja villages. "I'd expect nothing less from someone so famous," they complimented, though flattery rarely got anyone anywhere with a man like Kakashi.

Naruto had no idea what a 'tracker ninja' was, and was tired, he didn't even bother pretending he knew. "What the heck's a tracker ninja?" He questioned, turning to his teammates for some form of an answer.

Sakura was a little tired of spouting information, elbowing Pītā in the arm for some assistance. "Do you wanna take this one?" She asked, earning a shrug of the shoulders in return.

"Sure, I'm game. From what I remember, when a ninja breaks away and deserts a ninja village, they take a lot of ninja goodies with them. Secret Jutsu, special abilities, all that jazz. Tracker ninja or hunter-nin are tasked with either bringing them back or… you know, the other option. Nobody likes a tattle-tale, whiskers." Pītā flippantly answered, having to pause every now and then to check if he wasn't just spewing nonsense.

The hunter-nin in question gave a nod of the masked head, looking down at the red and blue Shinobi. "Eloquently put, boy. I'm with the elite tracking unit of the Hidden Mist Village; I was given the task of eliminating Zabuza by any means necessary." The androgynous stranger explained, but again, hadn't quite convinced Kakashi.

It was in his very nature, to be suspicious of every living thing he came across. The stranger looked to be maybe a little older than his kids but had managed to reach the rank of an elite assassin, it didn't quite add up. Of course, there was something about the child that didn't sit well with Kakashi. There was something… off about the tracker, like he or she was no ordinary ninja.

He wouldn't have admitted it, but it was the same feeling he got when he looked at Pītā. To the untrained eye, he was just a child. But a spider lurked just beneath the surface, violent and predatory in its nature.

Naruto wasn't sure how to feel about it, about everything that had just transpired in the last couple of minutes or so. He didn't know whether to be relieved by Zabuza's death or frustrated that they hadn't been the ones to stop the berserker, he was emotionally torn.

Staring down hard at the dirt ground, he gritted his teeth. "What are we even doing?" The blonde lad questioned, before he gazed up and kept his bluer than blue eyes locked onto the hunter.

Sakura and Pītā weren't sure how to respond, they hadn't expected such a question. "Exsqueeze me?" The spider inquired, though clearly hadn't meant to be taken seriously.

Naruto simply ignored him; he was in no mood to joke around. "It took everything we had to take on Zabuza, to bring him so close to defeat. And then this kid, this kid who's no bigger than me just swoops in and takes him down with one move, without even trying! What does that make us? We're supposed to be ninja and we don't know anything, how can I accept that?!" He yelled, fists clenched and eyes firmly shut in frustration.

Once again, the small lad had surprised everyone with such an outpouring of such huge feelings. His friends weren't sure what to say, even Pītā with his quick wit and sharp tongue couldn't bring himself to respond, there was a time and a place for knock knock jokes and this wasn't it.

A calm voice, always the voice of reason, filled Naruto's ears. "Well, no-one's forcing you to accept anything. But it did happen, Naruto." Kakashi Hatake attempted to ease his student with a few words of wisdom, placing his hand on the boy's messy blonde hair in a rather affectionate manner.

"This world is a scary place, beautiful and dangerous at the same time. There are kids out there who are smaller than you and yet, more powerful than me." The Jōnin pointed out, though Naruto didn't exactly seem thrilled with the answer.

It was true though, there was no denying that. Big things came in small packages… or was it good things came in small packages? Anyway, the point still stood. The ninja world was vast and unpredictable, powerful opponents were waiting to be discovered at every turn.

Naruto simply grumbled before glancing in the tracker's direction, in a show of swirling wind and fluttering leaves, the individual blinked out of existence before reappearing by the prone Zabuza's side. "Don't take it too personally; I'm simply fulfilling my duty. I must not allow this body to fall into the wrong hands, I'm sure you understand." The ninja explained, gathering the dead weight of Zabuza up and onto his or her shoulder.

After exchanging a brief nod with Kakashi, the tracker performed a hand sign and once again vanished from view, though didn't reappear this time. Kakashi took the moment to lower his forehead protector, resting his eye after putting it through such extensive use.

Pītā was too busy scratching his thick brunette hair, a little confused by sudden events. "Anybody else think that was weird? That was weird, right? Tell me I'm not alone on this one," he aired his concerns, but received a nod of concurrence from his teacher.

"That was a little strange," the former ANBU captain muttered, before gazing down to address Naruto.

The boy had calmed himself, which he was thankful for, he didn't need any overly emotional ninja on his squad. "Have you vented enough?" Kakashi dryly asked, earning a fold of the arms from the boy.

He pouted, not appreciating the sly jab. "I'm fine, sensei." Naruto stated, admittedly feeling a little more level headed about the situation.

Pītā piqued up, stuffing his hands into his pockets in the meantime. "You sure? You're not gonna start punching the ground for no good reason, right?" He asked with a hidden smirk, earning a deafening yell in kind.

"I said I'm fine!" Naruto shouted, annoyed but knowing full well the boy didn't mean anything by it.

Kakashi placed his hand on the lad's shoulder, before he addressed the rest of his team. "Despite that… minor setback, this mission is far from over. Tazuna, I believe you were leading us back to your home?" The Jōnin reminded, it was understandable he felt the need to, given what they'd all just been through.

He old bridge builder offered a bashful grin; he was starting to think of himself as a huge burden. "You ninja really go above and beyond, eh? Well, let me repay you. You can rest up at my house; replenish some of the strength you've lost today." He responded in a show of gratitude and good faith, greatly surprising the Genin.

Naturally, Pītā was the one to comment on it. "Wow, so you do have a heart." He joked with a self-indulgent laugh, though earned nothing but silence and looks of contempt all around.

Kakashi brushed off the boy's bad timing, instead turning on his heel to set off. "We're burning daylight, let's… get…" the words suddenly refused to form in his mouth as his entire body seized up, his basic motor functions failing him greatly.

Pītā moved with inhuman speed, managing to stop himself from making a 'timber!' joke as he propped his sensei up. "Jeez, the drama never stops, huh?" The agile Shinobi remarked, gently placing the Jōnin down on the firm dirt ground.

All three Genin were crouched around their unconscious mentor, with Tazuna standing over them. "What happened? What's wrong with him?" Sakura found herself quick firing questions, hoping to get some kind of response.

Pītā had a theory, he wasn't sure but it was the only thing that made a lick of sense in context. "His crazy eye, gotta be. Kakashi-Sensei just tuckered himself out, that's all. I mean, this is all purely speculation on my part but… that's all I got." He shrugged, and found no argument from either of his teammates.

Tazuna chipped in, voicing what he'd observed. "He was using that thing an awful lot out there; it must put severe strain on the body." He reasoned, surprisingly competent when he didn't have a bottle of hooch in his hand.

Naruto nodded, it was the only explanation as to why their sensei had suddenly collapsed. "We have to get him somewhere safe, somewhere he can recover." The boy determined, not bickering with his teammates for once.

Pītā unceremoniously lifted Kakashi bridal style; it was quite comical actually due to their differing heights. "Couldn't have said it better myself, sparky. Casa Del Tazuna's free, right?" He pressed, gauging a slow nod from the master builder.

"Okay then, Kakashi-Sensei's safe with me. Sakura, Naruto, stay on the bridge builder." Pītā ordered, which was something the duo didn't exactly appreciate.

Had it been during any other circumstance, they would have immediately called him out on it. "Seeing as how we have no other choice, fine. Mr. Tazuna, would you lead the way?" Sakura kindly asked, brandishing her kunai just in case of anymore unforeseen trouble.

Tazuna gave a compliant nod before setting off, trusting his life with three pre-teens once again. "Do not get used to this, Pītā Pākā." Sakura warned the confident lad as she walked by him, letting him bring up the rear with an unconscious Jōnin in his adolescent arms.

Pītā smirked, he was enjoying every second of it. "Wouldn't dream of it, Haruno." He hit back, as the rookie members of Team 7 started the trek to the safe haven of Tazuna's house.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Man, this is fun! I really enjoyed writing this one; they've all been a blast so far. Next up, the end of the Land of Waves arc and then onto other things!

P.S. Has anyone seen Star Wars: TFA yet? I haven't so no spoilers! But let me know how you enjoyed the film, was it any good? Did it live up to the hype?

 **Guest Reviews:**

 **Guest1:** I think it depends which incarnation we're talking about, every Spider-Man has slightly varied sets of powers and abilities so it's tough to call. Pītā can't see in the dark, not yet at least :P

 **Darkknight421993:** I'm trying to be at least a little consistent with this story; I'm loving every second of it :)

 **anynonamouse:** Ah, an animal lover I see, say no more :)

 **DC comic hater:** That's a very good question, but I think you answered it pretty well yourself. Ninja aren't superheroes, there aren't any police in the Narutoverse and Pītā can't simply web a bad guy to a lamppost and leave him there for the authorities. It's a different world and that calls for a slightly different Spider-Man, one who is very much a product of this different world. So, at some point, Pītā will have to spill some blood but you're definitely right, it isn't something he can do easily. He's not going to suddenly start a killing spree; it has to be a big deal for him to take a human life.

The story focuses on Pītā and his place in Team 7, as it progresses and he grows as a character, we will explore arcs solely dedicated to him and what's going on with him. As you said, most fans know what's going on with Naruto so a detour into the little slice of the Narutoverse where Pītā's doing his thing is justifiable. Orochimaru may very well be interested in Pītā, especially since he's the last of his kind... supposedly. Perhaps he might want to replicate him :P

 **Guest2:** If I wanted to tell a story about Peter Parker and Mary Jane or Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy or even Spider-Man and Black Cat, I wouldn't have bothered crossing Spider-Man over with Naruto. There will most likely be a pairing in the future as the characters get older but it won't be a Spider-Man/Marvel character, it will be a Naruto Kunoichi.

Nice to see someone so passionate about something :P

 **Atom king:** You're very welcome, man :) Kraven and his crazy family will fit in nicely, they'll be giving Pītā some trouble, without a doubt.

 **coldblue:** That's a huge review, dude. I'll try to answer as many questions as I can, having Pītā being a descendant of the original Peter is a great idea but there's no Marvel cosmic shenanigans here, just an alternate universe Spider-Man in an alternate universe Naruto world. Simple, easy, organic.

Pītā's powers, like any other version of Spider-Man, will continue to grow in strength as he ages and adapts to the world around him. Spiders are survivors and despite his clan doing the way of the dodo, he isn't going anywhere. Pītā will definitely learn all new spider powers, I have yet to refine them but I'm working them out, don't worry about it.

Pītā will definitely possess some form of Chakra affinity, and I'm leaning towards both Earth and Wind to compliment his strength and speed. Orochimaru might be interested in the possibilities Pītā's DNA has to offer, the spider bloodline is an incredibly powerful and ancient one. There's going to be a ton of background and depth added to the spider-clan story, why they died out and the huge amount of responsibility Pītā carries on his shoulders, it might even overwhelm him at times, holding the future of his kind in his hands.

I have absolutely no plans to give Pītā a Man-Spider transformation or giving him any of any other spider characters powers. Pītā will possess entirely unique powers exclusive to him, it'll set him apart from other incarnations of Spider-Man. Thanks for extremely detailed review, I hope I managed to at least answer some of your questions.

 **ScarletAnansi:** First off, those are some brilliant ideas and I wish I'd thought of them beforehand :P It's disappointing but nope, there's absolutely no cosmic Marvel mess ups involved, it's simply an alternate universe tale of a Spider-Man that already exists in the Narutoverse. Boring, I know :P

I understand your concerns about seeing the usual Spider-Man pairings but really, I'm with you. They'll be no MJ, no Gwen and no Felicia. What's the point of doing that? I could just do that in a regular ole' Spider-Man story, you know? The less said about Silk, the better. I just... have a huge dislike for the character, 'nuff said. I do like the idea however of the first spider having so much in common with the last spider, perhaps in the sense of reincarnation? I don't know, just spit-balling. Right now, things are a little vague but for sure, Pītā is this world's version of Spider-Man. I have some pretty outside the box plans for the Venom symbiote, but it's closely tied to the history of the spiders.

Thanks, I really like Pītā and Sakura's relationship too, it's so fun to write, you have no idea :P

 **DocKucCRO:** Maybe not jinchūriki but there's certainly more than meets the eyes to him, whether he has something inside of him, you'll have to wait and see.


	5. The Calm Before the Snow Storm

**Author's Note:** Hey, guys! I'm back with another chapter, which I thought would be the last of the Wave arc, but this is long enough as it is to qualify as its own chapter. So, next chapter will be the rematch between Team 7 and Zabuza, with Haku in his corner. Sorry for the wait and inconvenience, I just felt that there was quite a lot of important stuff in this one and I didn't want to over stuff the chapter with like another ten thousand words, you know?

Anyway, I hope you guys had a wonderful Christmas or any other festive season you subscribe to! Here's to 2016, which is sure to be an exciting year!

 **Disclaimer:** Spider-Man and all related characters are owned by Marvel and in turn, Disney. Naruto and all related characters are owned by Masashi Kishimoto, I own nothing.

* * *

 **The Calm Before the Snow Storm (Land of Waves Arc)**

Kakashi Hatake's grey eyes fluttered open, his senses returning to him as the distinct and rather annoying sound of seagulls filled his ears. He inwardly groaned, it had been a long while since he'd had to use his Sharingan. He hadn't forgotten the strain it put on its user, every inch of his body aching and throbbing as he managed to prop himself up into a sit.

His hand ran through his wild silver hair, and he paused for a moment. The Shinobi wasn't at all familiar with his surroundings, though judging by the fact that he was completely naked underneath a couple of warm blankets, he wasn't worried.

It didn't bother the man, he wasn't the kind of person to get all flustered and embarrassed, he wasn't a child after all. Still, he wasn't just going to sleep the day away. The ninja ordered his muscles to move, and after a few seconds of resistance, move they did. Kakashi managed to rise to his unsteady bare feet, rolling on his heels for a moment, almost losing his balance in the process.

Like a toddler learning how to walk, his movements were clumsy and he almost fell a few times before managing to reach his clothing and gear, neatly folded and tidied up on a nearby wooden chair. It didn't take him long to suit up; though he would've been quicker had it not been for the slight pain he was in.

The teacher heard a startled gasp as he whipped his head around, just having enough time to pull his mask up over his nose. "How're you—? You're not supposed to be on your feet yet, you're going to hurt yourself!" A woman, with long dark hair and eyes, scolded him as she aided him for a moment.

He leaned on her a little for support; he was still fairly out of it. "I'm not going to argue with you, but I'm not going to lie in bed all day if that's what you're getting at." Kakashi calmly informed her, he wasn't going to push himself but doing nothing all day was not an option.

She nodded, the man's entire demeanour spoke volumes and she wasn't going to order him around like a mother. "I suppose, if you're sure you can stand. I think I have some crutches lying around somewhere," the woman answered, he assumed she was related to the bridge builder in some way.

Too young to be his wife or sister, most likely his daughter or niece. "That'll do, I don't plan on exerting myself too much today, Mrs…?" Kakashi trailed off, despite his condition, he was polite enough to ask for her name.

He watched her carefully, his single grey eye studying everything on her soft complexion. "I… I haven't been Mrs in quite some time, but please, call me Tsunami." It was an apt title, for a woman housed within the Wave.

Kakashi nodded, removing his weight from the woman as he diligently lowered himself onto the wooden chair. "Thank you for taking care of me, Tsunami. I do hope my students and I aren't imposing by staying here," she waved off his concerns, hands clasped in front of her as she smiled.

"It's really no trouble; I'd never turn honourable Shinobi away, especially after said Shinobi saved my father's life. I'm in your debt, Kakashi." She bowed, and he nodded his head back, it was only customary to show her the same respect.

But he raised a hand, staring up at her with his half lidded eye. "The debt was paid when you decided to nurse me back to health," Kakashi recognized, a slight reddish hue appearing on the woman's cheeks.

For whatever reason, he always seemed to have such an effect on women…

The man turned his head towards the large sliding door frame, having sensed boundless energy and heard the patter of adolescent feet. "Kakashi-Sensei! You're okay!" As expected, his pupils had entered the room with Tazuna bringing up the rear.

Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno bounded up to the man, probably would've leaped at him had he not held his hand up in protest. "I'm feeling much better, students. But it's going to take a little while before I can take you tackling me to the floor, so don't get any ideas." Kakashi warned the pair, namely Naruto as his gaze wandered towards him.

The blonde Genin grinned abashedly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Right, no tackling until you're all better, got it." He replied, half satisfying his teacher.

Sakura seemed genuinely relieved as well, though showed infinitely more restraint than her male teammate. "I'm glad you're okay, sensei. After using your Sharingan so much, we weren't sure when you'd wake up." She expressed, the sheer joy she felt being betrayed by her composed smile and sweet nature.

Pītā Pākā, having hung back with his hands stuffed in his pockets, pulled one of them out to offer a short wave. "It's awesome to see you awake and everything but if your sparkly eye has such negative effects, maybe you should stop using it… just a thought." The red and blue boy suggested, not surprising Kakashi at all.

It was just like him, to get straight to the point and brush over welcoming him back. It was something he admired about the lad, he clearly understood that the Sharingan had effectively forced his body to shut down but that it also wasn't anything a little bed rest wouldn't fix. People often mistook it as simple unbridled rudeness, a lack of manners on the boy's part.

But not the Jōnin, he liked how the kid was a little more 'rough and tumble' than his teammates. "Thank you for the concern, kids. Unfortunately, it's not as easy as simply not using it. Zabuza was an extremely dangerous ninja, I used my Sharingan to ensure your safety, regardless of the effect it had on me. It just can't be helped; it's as simple as that." Kakashi answered, gauging nods out of his three ever learning pupils.

Tazuna felt the need to cut in, his previously grizzled and secretive demeanour giving way to a much more friendly and open man. "I appreciate you using it despite its setbacks, you and your kids here really saved my skin. Zabuza was no walk in the park but you took care of him and then some, there shouldn't be any need to use it anytime soon, so just focus on recovering." Kakashi wasn't surprised, the man was simply grateful.

And grateful he should have been, any sane Jōnin would've turned around and marched his team back to Konoha for the deceit the bridge builder pulled. "You think ole' butter knife was… what's his name? Gatō? You think he was Gatō's heavy hitter?" Pītā queried, earning a nod from his teacher.

Kakashi was certain that Zabuza was the toughest ninja on the man's payroll, given the demon's background and reputation; he must have cost Gatō a pretty penny. "Without a doubt," the composed man answered, setting his students at ease.

Naruto chirped up, his usual grinning self. "So, we can relax now, right? After Zabuza, everything else should be a piece of cake!" The boy claimed, folding his arms proudly.

Pītā and Sakura shared his disposition; they weren't looking forward to any other fights as tough as the one with Zabuza had been. "No," Kakashi cut the celebratory boast short, confusing all those present in the room.

Sakura was the first to question the quiet outburst, her previously cheery expression now riddled with worry. "What are you saying, sensei?" She gently asked, watching as her mentor seemed to be pondering something.

It hadn't taken him long to piece it together; his mind had pretty much immediately jumped to conclusions the second he'd regained consciousness. Pītā had been right; there was something extremely off about what had happened, the tracker ninja appearing as if from nowhere and suddenly stealing their win right from them.

The mask was legitimate; it was too pitch perfect in its ANBU design to have been a forgery. The child clearly knew enough to pass themselves off as a hunter-nin but everything else hadn't fit, hadn't totally added up. The kicker had been the mystery ninja's choice of weapons, senbon needles were not a great choice to deliver a fatal blow.

Kakashi locked eyes with each one of his students, waiting to see whether one of them would figure it out too. "The tracker ninja…" Pītā muttered, not fully sure but had a niggling feeling at the back of his mind that he was on the right track.

The elite ninja nodded, confirming the lad's suspicions. "Zabuza Momochi is still alive," Kakashi unceremoniously dropped a hard truth on the Genin, so hard that it almost knocked everyone for a loop.

Naruto was the first to argue, he almost always was. "No way! We saw what happened, that Mist ninja took him straight out!" The boy exclaimed, not content with having their first major victory torn away from them for a second time.

Sakura nodded, concurring with the boy she rarely agreed with. "Naruto's right, sensei. You checked the body yourself, he can't be alive." She reasoned, severely doubting that Kakashi had missed a pulse.

Pītā silently confirmed her thoughts, the Jōnin hadn't missed a pulse because he hadn't heard one either. "He is, Sakura… I'm sure of it. I don't know whether it was my Sharingan taking its toll on my body or the heat of battle, but I missed all the signs." Kakashi admitted, having no trouble at all owning up to his own faults.

He was the senior ninja, in some circles, one of the best. He should have caught it, getting tricked so easily did not happen to someone of his calibre. But it did, it happened quite blatantly too. Once more though, the incident had brought something curious to his attention. Pītā had somehow sensed the deceit, not perfectly, but he'd caught on enough to at least acknowledge that there was something going on.

It was beginning to baffle the veteran, there was no such thing as a human lie detector, however imperfect it may have been. It wasn't a huge concern for him at that moment, but it was definitely something Kakashi needed to keep his eye on. With how closed off and guarded Pītā was, even despite his eccentric nature, he was sure that if confronted about it, Pītā wouldn't have given him a straight answer.

Everyone had secrets; he and many others were keeping one of the most dangerously important secrets in the ninja world. So, even though Kakashi hated lies, he reasoned that sometimes, lying was a little bit necessary.

Still, it was something he'd follow up on; there was no doubt about that.

Naruto brought the famous ninja back out of his reverie, a quizzical expression written across his whisker decorated features. "Signs? What the heck are you talking about, sensei?" The orange clad boy inquired, focusing on his teacher with apt attention just like his comrades were.

Kakashi gestured with a gloved hand, he wasn't sure why, he just did. "The weapons of choice, the needles the tracker used to bring down Zabuza, they were senbon." He explained, solving absolutely nothing for Naruto.

He tilted his head, like that of a curious puppy. "Huh?" A question in the form of confused sound barged past his lips, senbon needles sounded a little familiar but he wasn't totally sure.

Neither was Pītā, his brow furrowed as he tried to place them. "Senbon? Aren't they used for acupuncture?" The spider posed, earning a slow and eventual nod of the head from his mentor.

Kakashi still wanted to test their knowledge though, so refrained from answering his own question for the time being. "Yes, among other things. Sakura, care to fill your teammates in?" The man questioned, putting the pink haired girl on the spot.

She nodded hesitantly; she still had a long way to go on that confidence issue of hers. "Yes, sensei. Senbon are needles mainly used by medical-nin, they're precise and sharp enough to pierce vital points of the body without causing too much damage. But… they can also be utilized in battle, they're much smaller than kunai or shuriken, making them harder to see and dodge right off the bat." Sakura rattled off, very aware of the fact that all eyes were on her.

Tazuna gave a low whistle, his eyebrows raised in pleasant surprise. "She's a sharp one," he complimented, receiving a proud smile from the girl in question.

Kakashi agreed, she was very competent and clearly knew what she was talking about when it came to theory. "Nicely put, Sakura. But above all else, senbon are rarely ever fatal. They'd be a lousy choice in weaponry, especially to deal the killing blow. That tracker ninja didn't kill Zabuza, but merely used the unprotected pressure points in his neck to make it look like he did." The Jōnin informed his charges, clearly a little perturbed by the fact that he'd fallen for such a plan.

Tazuna was a little disheartened, he'd honestly thought the biggest threat to his life and his work had been deftly dealt with. "Ah... nothing's ever easy with ninja," the man muttered, his doubts and fear resurfacing yet again.

Pītā noticed it, saw that Kakashi was silently beating himself over it and Tazuna was yet again fearing for his life. "Hey, look on the bright side; at least we get to smack them around some more." The boy mocked, glancing around the room to see who shared his thoughts.

Predictively, he managed to crack an agreeable grin out of Naruto. Sakura on the other hand, was her usual diligent self. Which, in all honesty, Pītā was thankful for. Somebody had to be the one to consider options and think clearly while Naruto yelled at everyone and he told knock knock jokes, it was common sense.

Kakashi chuckled beneath his dark blue mask; he didn't mind a little light in the darkness. "Always a silver lining," the elite Shinobi muttered, leaning forward in his seat to rest his elbows on his knees.

Naruto perked up, as if realizing something for the first time. "Since they're working together, that means we won't have our thunder stolen by some random passing ninja again! We can beat Zabuza for real!" He fist pumped, stunning all those present with his sheer tenacity for a rematch… sans Pītā, of course.

Pītā had learnt to expect it, for all the kid's talk, second best wasn't good enough. And he admired him for it, admired the hell out of him for such a driven way of thinking. It honestly baffled Pītā, confused him to no end how everyone else thought of him as a loser. There wasn't a day that went by where Pītā didn't hear it in some form, from enemy ninja, sure but also from their supposed friends too.

Fellow Leaf ninja, fellow Academy graduates, it wasn't right. Pītā tried to put it down to kids just being kids but he was a kid too and he certainly didn't share their mind-set, perhaps the parents were simply influencing their kids' attitude and outlook on life.

A hand found its way to Naruto's orange and blue clad shoulder, and bluer than blue eyes locked with friendly brown ones. "I could go for a rematch, see what makes that kid in the dress so special." Pītā suggested, receiving a determined nod out of the demon host.

Sakura folded her arms; they always had to get so far ahead of themselves. So excited and just absolutely pumped up for something that could've spelled the end, it was idiotic. It was mindless babbling, it was… it was… it was boys just being boys.

About to lecture them, Sakura sighed and relented. "At least let everyone rest first," the rosy cheeked girl suggested, her eyes fixed on their laid up sensei.

Kakashi caught the insinuation, the girl was right, they all needed to recover and regroup, him more so than any of them. "Astute as ever, Sakura. Besides, I'm no good to anyone if I can't stay on my feet for more than two seconds. For now, we rest." The man watched as his only female student nodded in relieved satisfaction, even he had limitations.

Pītā shrugged, whatever his sensei decided was usually the best course of action. "Rest?" Naruto on the other hand, was the only one to seem a little deflated.

Kakashi stared at him with that same vague expression, his Sharingan covered and hidden beneath his Leaf forehead protector. "Yes, Naruto. But don't be disheartened just yet, just because I'm recovering from my injuries doesn't mean that I can't train you." The man explained, noticing the colour pour back into the lad's youthful face.

He also noticed Sakura about to object and quickly raised his palm, miming for her to hold her tongue. "I understand you're concerned, Sakura. But what was it I said shortly after leaving Konoha?" He directed the question at her and solely at her; the girl felt both ocean and chocolate coloured eyes on her person.

She recalled what her teacher had said; she didn't think it was possible to forget, not after what she'd heard moments before. What she'd experienced with her teammates, something that would most likely bind them together for the rest of their days. Sakura nodded in understanding, stood there between a hot-headed boy who was constantly full of surprises and a swift force of comedic nature, garbed in red and blue.

"That we need to start trusting you," she answered, her breath almost hitching in her throat as a satisfied Kakashi rose to stand.

He wobbled for a moment, attempting to perfect his balance as Tsunami came to his aid with a pair of crutches. "You've grown, all of you have. But in order to continue growing, you have to put your faith in me, Sakura. We will be prepared when the time comes to once again face Zabuza; I'll make sure we are. So, yes, we're going to get in a little last minute training. I have faith in your abilities…" Kakashi trailed off, prompting his students to finish.

"And we have faith in yours," Sakura, Naruto and Pītā replied, their mismatched voices practically in perfect sync as Kakashi looked upon them favourably.

Pītā heard the sound of footsteps before anyone else, belonging to a child even younger than him and his teammates. "Faith is only good for one thing… getting you killed," a soft yet frustrated voice split the air, prompting Team 7 to whip around and gaze upon the newcomer.

A boy stood in their presence; he stood around half their height and wore green overalls. "Who's the kid?" Naruto questioned, a little put off by such a negative attitude on one so young.

Tsunami was immediately stood beside him, cheeks flushing as she stared down at her son. "That's enough, Inari." She sternly told him, though the child didn't seem to care as he glared at the three older kids.

His downtrodden gaze was shadowed by a white and striped blue sunhat, the child held his tongue at the behest of his mother for the time being. "It's quite all right, Tsunami, there's nothing to be ashamed about. It's a pleasure to meet you, Inari. I'm Kakashi and this is my team, we hail from the Village Hidden in the Leaves." Kakashi raised a hand, attempting to set the boy's mother at ease.

Children just acted like children, he knew how hard it was to keep them in check and he'd only been doing it for around a week. The woman bowed in a show of respect, cheeks still rosy. Inari broke away from his mother to change his tune somewhat and tackle his grandfather, not bothering to address the other three kids in the room.

"Listen to your mother, Inari. I didn't think much of this group when I first met them, but before long, they were saving my life at every turn." Tazuna defended the Leaf ninja, blatantly admitting the lack of faith he'd previously held in them.

But it was true, the only reason he was standing there, standing in the presence of the ones he loved most, was because of three unlikely kids and their aloof guardian. The bridge builder had offered up his home as a token of his appreciation but even he knew that it wasn't enough, it would never be enough.

There weren't many things that held the same value as a human life; he doubted there was even a single thing that mattered as much. Tazuna was stubborn, that was the entire reason he was in such a mess in the first place. But even he was a big enough man to admit when he'd been wrong, and in all honesty, he was glad he'd underestimated Team 7.

His grandson on the other hand, didn't appear as convinced. "They're going to ruin everything, Gatō and his men are going to come here looking for them!" Inari blurted out, again peeking out from under his sunhat to yell at the ninja.

Naruto scowled, how could a boy so young be so pessimistic?

"You don't even know what you're talking about, kid! We're not scared of Gatō; we took down the Demon of the Hidden Mist! An actual demon! Unless Gatō's got a hundred demons at his fingertips, I'm not worried!" The brash blonde challenged back, actually taking a step towards the defiant child.

To everyone's surprise, Inari accepted the challenge and took a step towards Naruto. "You're the one who doesn't know what he's talking about! You don't know what goes on here; you're safe on the mainland, behind your stupid walls! You can't just march in here and expect to solve everyone's problems!" The child boomed, stunning Naruto for a moment before he expectedly gritted his teeth.

He was getting frustrated with the boy and Sakura had to hold her teammate back as Pītā silently enjoyed the show, watching Naruto lose his temper was always entertaining. "That's exactly what I'm gonna do, you'll see!" He shouted back, fists balled as he wriggled in Sakura's firm bear hug.

The outburst of anger at least managed to cause Inari to back down, back peddling towards the open door of the room. "Nobody wants you here, just go back where you came from and leave us alone!" The boy screamed, darting out of the room to his mother's dismay.

Naruto's chest was heaving, he'd never been so angry before. "Have you cooled off yet?" Sakura queried, feeling the boy's stiff muscles start to loosen.

He'd been so caught up, so heated over the disagreement, that he'd failed to notice that Sakura had indeed been hugging him. A bear hug, but still. Pītā hadn't uttered a word, now perched on one of the walls with his elbows resting over his thighs.

"Nice kid, very upbeat." The spider jested, a smirk stretching across his lips that went unnoticed.

Tsunami was holding her forehead, a sizable headache beginning to form. "I… I'm sorry for my son's disrespectful behaviour, Kakashi." She apologized, voice breaking a little as she was clearly at her wits end with the lad.

Kakashi waved the woman off, he didn't see it as such a big deal. "You have nothing to apologize for, Tsunami. The boy's clearly angry about something, what that something is… well, it's none of my business." The man admitted, because it was the truth.

Despite his rank as an elite ninja of Konoha, he and his team were still just guests in her home. Though, Inari had been lucky that it was him he'd mouthed off too. Kakashi didn't react, didn't indulge the boy because he simply did not care. But acting in such a disrespectful way in the presence of ninja, it wasn't exactly encouraged.

Most people who were stupid enough to attempt it ended up dead, so… there was that.

Naruto left the room shortly after, claiming he needed the bathroom. But those who knew him, Kakashi, Sakura and Pītā, knew that wasn't the case at all. He was probably marching up the stairs to find the lad's room, fully intent on giving him a piece of his mind.

Kakashi simply sighed, that entire exchange had exhausted him and he had barely said two words. The pink haired girl of the group placed her hands on her slim not yet developed waist, her emerald eyes fixed on the door before she turned her attention to the fly on the wall.

Or spider, in their case. "Put you off having kids?" Pītā asked with mirth in his voice, apparently, he found the entire thing somewhat funny.

She shook her head, but felt compelled to answer him. "I'm on the fence," Sakura muttered, hoping that if she ever had children, they at least knew what manners were.

* * *

A mass of lush forest, brimming with all manner of wildlife, surrounded Tazuna and Tsunami's home by the sea. It was quite secluded, a good walk away from the markets and stores of the Wave. Once again, Team 7 found themselves in a rural part of the world, a far cry from all the activity of their home village.

In fact, they were starting to miss home, at least a little bit. Sakura missed her parents and Pītā missed his aunt, Naruto on the other hand, missed his ramen. But they had to push aside those thoughts and feelings of home sickness for the time being, as Kakashi had them training to push themselves further and further.

After a lengthy discussion concerning Chakra and the hows and whys of it, Kakashi had set his team a simple task. To climb a tree without the use of their hands, they were to accomplish this by directing the Chakra in their bodies towards the soles of their feet, thus adhering to any surface. Ninja had been using the trick for years, mimicking the natural abilities of the Shukeikō-Clan.

Considering Kakashi had the last member of said clan in his midst, he'd had some trouble trying to figure out what to do with him. Tree-climbing was pointless as Pītā could already walk on any surface; it was second nature to him. But the point of the training wasn't about climbing the tree; it was about controlling the Chakra at one's disposal.

His spider student needed to learn it, it was mandatory on the path of a ninja. So while Sakura exceeded at the task, helping a less than stellar Naruto figure it out along the way, Kakashi had parted Pītā from them for his own unique brand of training.

The duo found themselves standing in front of a… well, it wasn't big enough to be a lake but wasn't exactly a pond either. It was a steady body of clear water, completely still and the perfect training ground for his student.

"Oh, more water… can't get enough of that." Pītā dryly stated, having seen enough of the pure liquid in the Land of Waves to last him a lifetime.

Kakashi stood there, propped up by a pair of wooden crutches as the brunette voiced his disdain. "It's necessary, given you're unique heritage." The elite ninja commented, finding chocolate coloured orbs gazing at him.

With an arched eyebrow, the Shukeikō heir folded his arms. "What's that supposed to mean?" The brunette wondered just what his sensei had meant by the remark, waiting patiently for the man to follow himself up.

A raised palm settled the boy down; it seemed his status as a spider was somewhat of a touchy subject. He'd noticed it during the bout with Zabuza; his usually composed student had taken the demon's words concerning his kind to heart. A little strange for someone who found joy and entertainment in the teasing of others, but he put that down to the lad just being plain strange.

His pupil was sharp, analytical, a hell of a boon in a fight but was still just a child. "I'm talking about your bloodline, the abilities you've been gifted with. Tree climbing isn't a very good test for you to take, how are you supposed to know if you're using Chakra to adhere to the tree's surface and not your own natural powers?" And children, they were often easy to manipulate, to control and influence.

Pītā raised a finger, as if he was about to correct his teacher and school him on a subject he had no idea about. "I… wouldn't be able to tell," he weakly admitted, his hand dropping to his side.

Kakashi nodded, he liked a ninja that didn't try to pretend that they knew everything. "Exactly, there is no way to tell. So, you'd never be sure if it's your powers or your Chakra doing the work, you'd be making no progress at all." The veteran informed his charge, watching as the lad stared out at the body of water before them.

"Okay, so what'd you have in mind? And what does all this water have to do with it?" Pītā queried, always keen to know more.

Kakashi brushed by his student and began to hop out onto the water's ever still surface, his presence doing nothing to disturb the liquid at his feet. "I wouldn't do this if I had any other choice, but being able to control your Chakra is fundamental. Your powers give you a lot of advantages, Pītā, there's no denying it or shying away from it. In simple terms, based on physicality alone, you outclass every single ninja in Konoha… even me." The Jōnin admitted, his words having the desired effect.

Pītā's eyes widened, his mind scrambled a little by his teacher's sudden revelation. "No way… you're a Jōnin; I wouldn't have a chance in hell squaring off against you!" The boy blurted out, he was no idiot after all.

He was fully aware of the advantages his powers gave him, but Jōnin were the best of the best, second only to the Hokage himself. "Not right now, no. But right now, you're limited. Limited by your young age, your lack of development in all forms of Jutsu sans Taijutsu, your over reliance on your spider-like abilities. But one day, at some point in the future, you'll be able to beat me. Not just you, but Naruto and Sakura too." Kakashi explained, silencing the boy for the time being.

"I've said this many times to you, but I'm still not sure it's sunken in quite yet. I'm your sensei, and as your sensei, it's my job—my duty to ensure that you're the strongest you can possibly be. I will not rest until you, Naruto and Sakura are able to face me in one and one combat and come out victorious. Then, we'll no longer be student and teacher. Then, we will be equals." The silver haired man spoke, still unable to urge a response from the normally talkative child.

Pītā was trying to process things, the sheer prospect of him being able to best his famous sensei in a fair fight seemed so preposterous. "Until such a time comes, I still have a job to do. Now, what I'm currently demonstrating is an extremely advanced technique. Again, it's all about Chakra control. You can't stick to the water's surface using your inherited abilities, so you'll know if it's your Chakra doing all the work." The former ANBU captain, now a mentor to three children, taught his student.

Imparting wisdom while he defied the laws of physics, standing on the water's unsolid surface as though it were but a game. "The same basic rules apply; you have to precisely judge how much Chakra you need to focus into the soles of your feet. The only difference is the execution, you want to attract for a tree but for water, you need to repel. Too little Chakra and you're going to get wet, too much and this becomes a splash zone. Understand?" The boy's elder guided, prompting Pītā to nod and open his mouth for the first time in a few minutes.

The boy approached the land's edge, soft blades of grass completely disappearing as he stood before the crystal blue water. "Is the sky blue?" The red and blue Shinobi jested, before focusing for a moment.

Kakashi watched as his pupil's gloved hands raised and came together, forming a hand sign as Pītā shut his eyes and concentrated. "Gotta get the right balance, kinda like salt. Too little salt and there's no taste, too much salt and ugh, God, that stuff is disgusting." Pītā muttered, feeling a flow of energy slowly descend through his body.

The pre-teen felt something in his feet, a sort of tingly sensation as a crescent of air sliced across the ground in front of him. "Okay, that felt weird. I'm gonna assume that was supposed to happen and just roll with it, here goes nothing." Pītā voiced, before taking a cautious step forward.

Hours passed by, and a drenched boy garbed in red and blue stood on the bank of the body of water, a tired and disappointed frown carved into his lips. Pītā had tried to focus and control his Chakra to enable him to walk on water; he'd done it so many times that he'd stopped counting at three hundred. Still, Kakashi watched and waited, completely silent as his student continued to fail, over and over again.

"I think that's enough for today," Kakashi threw the boy a lifeline, and headed ashore when he took it with the grace of an elephant.

Pītā collapsed backwards, his behind hitting the soft grass beneath him as his chest heaved. "I'm just gonna… sit here for… for a second… not feeling so hot, you know?" The usually spry and alert lad was a sorry sight to see, Kakashi had only ever seen him on his feet and full of energy.

His lone grey eye looked upon Pītā, saw the clear contempt the boy held for himself. "That's what happens when you completely tap out your Chakra reserves, you exhaust yourself. But you kept at it much longer than I'd expected, good job." The Jōnin congratulated, earning a bewildered expression in return.

Pītā didn't know whether the man was being sarcastic or simply mocking him for such a sorry display, but he'd done anything but a good job. "Good job? Is that eye on the fritz too? I couldn't do it once, not once. We've been at this for hours, sensei and I… I couldn't do it." The boy admitted, his tone taking a sharp turn towards one of the self-pitying variety.

Kakashi would've placed a hand on the lad's shoulder but lacked the mobility to lower himself to his pupil's level, his crutches proving to be a hindrance as well as helpful. "Pītā, I didn't expect you to do it the very first time. I didn't expect you to do it the very first day either, a technique of this level isn't something you can instantly pick up." The always wise man offered some always wise words, though they failed to lift Pītā's spirits.

The brunette cocked a thumb back to the dense green treelines some distance behind them, his heavy breathing steadying out somewhat. "Tell that to Sakura, she made Naruto and I look like amateurs… oh man, I'm never gonna hear the end of it!" Pītā complained, chocolate eyes rolling as he fell backwards in despair.

Lying there on the very comfortable, very wet grass, the boy's wallowing was interrupted by a tall shadow looming over him. "Everyone has their own specific strengths and weaknesses, Sakura simply found her strength. While she's a natural at controlling her Chakra, you and Naruto need to work on it. It's nothing to be ashamed about, nothing a little hard work and dedication won't fix." Kakashi lectured, stepping back as Pītā sprang back onto his feet.

Dwarfed by the lanky Jōnin, the boy's tone hopped back up a few notches. "When you say 'hard work', you mean—?" Pītā was cut off; Kakashi deciding it was time to re-join his other two students.

The man reiterated, spelling it out for the spider. "Practising this technique every day, until you get the hang of it. No slacking, no cutting corners and no giving up." Pītā joined him, walking in tandem and matching his sensei's much slower pace.

"Gotcha," Pītā nodded, making a mental note to work on his Chakra control until he got it right.

* * *

Days passed and while Sakura was tasked with escorting Tazuna to his place of work each day, the ground-breaking bridge he was constructing, Naruto and Pītā had been continuing their training. Each and every morning, they'd leave Tazuna's home by the sea, head deep into the forest nearby and then go their separate ways. Night came, and the duo would meet up at the forest's edge and then trek back to their temporary accommodations, both exhausted but one of them soaked to the bone.

Kakashi continued to rest, though monitored his students every now and then. They didn't need him twenty four seven, they were perfectly capable to go at it alone, but he wanted to assess their progress and help out in any way he could. He'd advised Pītā that if the weather happened to take a turn for the worse, then he could take a break and avoid the risk of catching a cold.

As if on cue, the air cooled for the day and Pītā decided it best to put off his training until it warmed up once again, most likely when they returned to Konoha. But, instead of sitting on his behind all day and doing nothing, he'd decided to tag along with Naruto and make sure the blonde didn't get himself hurt.

He was sat, once again defying gravity as he perched against the bark of a tree. The forest was silent and a little chilly, that cool morning air whistling through the trees as the brunette watched over an unconscious Naruto. He was impressed, no word of a lie. The boy had refused to head back inside for something to eat, to rest and try again the next day. He'd relentlessly tried to reach the top of the tree using the Chakra in his feet, but had fallen mere inches short each time.

Pītā had stayed mostly silent, he didn't want to put the boy off and mess everything up for him. He'd offered a few pointers here and there but stopped after he realized he had no idea what he was talking about; he climbed things in an extremely different manner. His body did all the work for him, to the point where he didn't have to think about it.

The spider would launch himself at a tree or a wall, cling and then just keep going, without missing a beat. Having to concentrate, actually will it and want it to happen, was a new concept to him. Pītā had been crawling along walls as early as he'd learned to crawl like a regular child, it was instinctual, it just happened.

But he had to give the kid props; he was no quitter, no doubt about it.

The boy perked up, raising his head as a sound entered his ears. The sound of movement, of a heavy presence stepping on fallen leaves and broken branches, too big to be a woodland critter but too light to be anything larger than a child.

Pītā watched silently as a girl appeared, decorated in… pretty much pink everything. She was dressed so scantly that the lad had to wonder how she wasn't shivering, it wasn't exactly freezing but it was brisk enough to warrant a little extra padding around the body. She seemed to be picking flowers and plants, placing them in a small wicker basket, hanging loosely on the crook of her elbow.

Her slender legs were bare to the world, a very loose kimono just barely clinging to her body. Long, dark hair just about reached the middle of her back, and she had the biggest, brownest eyes Pītā had ever seen. Large eyes were considered to be a very attractive feature in their society, like a call back to the purity of youth.

But despite her innocent appearance, Pītā's deep brown eyes were narrowed, filled with suspicion. Kakashi had told them, all three of them, that ninja had to see through deception and recognize when they were being tricked. So, naturally, Pītā had a hard time trusting anyone anymore, he didn't care how pretty they were.

The red and blue acrobat found his hand slowly reaching for the kunai strapped to his thigh when the girl moved; she'd spotted Naruto lying in the middle of a small grove, birds fluttering around to start their day. She approached and Pītā chose not to act, not just yet. She sat beside his teammate, doing nothing but staring at him for a moment before she raised her hand.

Pītā didn't want to give her the chance to do anything, not when she was so close to his pal. A whistle split the serene air, so shrill that wildlife scattered away, their hearts racing. The girl's hand immediately snapped back to her side, her big doe eyes scanning the vicinity and finally landing on a red and blue figure, precariously sticking to the surface of a tree.

Her eyes widened, and Pītā wasn't sure whether that was because of his anti-gravity stunt or because she'd been caught doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing. "No touchy," Pītā warned, brandishing a razor sharp kunai in his hand as he bore down on her.

The girl seemed startled, backing away a little to the point where she fell on her backside. "Oh! You—you scared me, I didn't see you there. But… just how are you doing that, if you don't mind me asking?" She sputtered, her voice soft and melodic.

Pītā's eyes only narrowed further, it didn't help that his spider-sense hadn't stopped using his skull like a bongo drum. "Sticky fingers, don't worry about it. What're you doing out here?" The Shinobi pressed, leaving his high vantage point to flip to the ground.

He moved fluidly, showcasing a grace the girl had never quite witnessed before. "I… I was just gathering herbs, that's all." She excused, reaching for the discarded basket beside her as she slowly rose to stand.

Pītā mimicked her, matching her movements as well as her height. "What's on the menu?" He queried, sighting her to be much taller than any girl he knew.

She couldn't have been much older than him, judging by the really low V cut of her kimono, she hadn't even developed yet. "Oh, nothing like that. They're for treating illnesses, infections in wounds, things like that." The girl once again responded, continuing to muddy Pītā's opinion of her.

She screamed innocent, everything about her was perfectly normal and natural and nothing seemed wrong at all. "Uh huh… not to be a jerk or anything but… what's your deal? I mean, you understand my concern, right? A vulnerable girl, all alone in the woods, looming over an unconscious pal of mine… you see what I'm saying?" Pītā gestured, his danger sense just wouldn't stop hounding him.

"I believe I do, but I assure you, I meant no harm. Honestly, what sort of harm could a girl like me pose against two skilled ninja such as yourself?" She asked as a smile came to her angelic face, a kind smile that Pītā wasn't entirely comfortable with.

The lad holstered his kunai against his better judgement; he didn't need it for a bout anyway. "I never said we were ninja," Pītā stated, catching the girl off-guard.

It was perfectly obvious what they were, just by appearance alone, so it was reasonable to assume that a complete stranger would guess as much. No, Pītā was just trying to mess with her a little, see if he could shake her up… he still wasn't sold on the whole 'innocent girl' shtick.

She feigned confusion, her smile disappearing and being replaced by a look of unease. "Oh… well, I just assumed—" Pītā cut her off; he didn't want to give her room to breathe.

If his spider-sense was wrong about her, then he'd apologize for acting like a jerk but until that time, he'd continue to work her. "Maybe we're just on our way to a costume party," he mocked, a smirk stretching across his hidden lips.

The girl frowned, apparently catching on to his games. "Okay, I get it… ninja and their secrets." She played it off as a joke, irritating Pītā a little bit.

Maybe there was no danger, maybe he was just acting a little bit paranoid. Maybe his physical exhaustion was leaking through and affecting his spider-sense, throwing it off its game. It was strange though, his spider-sense had never steered him wrong, not once in all his twelve years on this Earth.

"You really shouldn't let your friend here sleep on the ground; he'll catch a cold at this rate." The girl advised, and Pītā had to really listen to her voice for a moment to notice something.

He'd heard it before, the same tone, the same quiet and subdued volume; everything about it seemed familiar to him. "You know… I feel like we've met before," he mused, watching as the girl stiffened slightly.

She smiled, closing her eyes contently as she played it off. "Oh? I don't seem to recall meeting you; you're too distinct to forget." The Shukeikō heir nodded, her heartrate hadn't skipped a beat for a moment.

"Flatterer… guess I must be imagining things," Pītā went with it; he wasn't sure who she was but he was in no mood for a fight.

The boy chanced taking his eyes off of her, glancing down at his still slumbering friend on the ground. "So, I'm collecting herbs, what're you doing out here so early?" The girl asked, that same fragile voice practically sounded like music at this point.

Pītā clicked his tongue beneath his mask; the Genin didn't see the harm in talking to her for a little while. "Birdwatching," he cracked a grin, he knew she could see it.

One of her hands found its way to her waist, an irritable expression written across her features. "Are you always this evasive?" The girl, he still didn't have a name yet, inquired.

The red and blue Leaf ninja shrugged, folding his arms as he stared at her. "Only with people I don't trust," he answered, noticing her lose face for a moment before she gazed back at him.

The girl, just who the heck was she anyway, seemed to lose herself in thought for a split second. "A wise policy, just don't let it make you paranoid." She turned her back on him, signalling that the conversation was over.

Pītā let her leave; placing her was really starting to bug him. "I'm a ninja, being paranoid comes with the job." He called after her; still wanting to get the last word in… he was weird like that.

But she was gone, fading from view and disappearing into the masses of trees around them. Her appearance concerned Pītā, just where had she come from? Who was she picking herbs for? Why was she out there all alone? Why did she seem so familiar?

Questions, nothing but questions. The boy hated it, he wanted answers, craved the solution to the brand new conundrum that had presented itself in the form of a sweet, unsuspecting girl. It was possible to fool him, he was nothing special but his spider-sense… that was a different story altogether.

Pītā was shook from his suspicious and complex thoughts as Naruto began to stir, moaning a little as his eyes fluttered open. "Pītā? Ugh… how long was I out?" The blonde Jinchūriki groaned, rubbing his tired eyes as he sat up.

The comedian dressed in red and blue crouched beside him, arching an eyebrow. "Not long, but man, are you a deep sleeper." He offered the kid a helping hand and the duo rose to their feet, Naruto being a little unsteady for a moment.

He righted himself, his muscles slackened and movements sluggish. "All right, enough resting, I've still got to reach the top of the tree!" Naruto bolted, sprinting at the base of a nearby tree with energy that surprised Pītā.

He was yawning one minute and then the next, running straight up the side of a tree with a determined grin on his face. "You think that's a smart move, blondie? I mean, you did just leave dreamland after all." The arachnid called after him, watching as his teammate gained more and more height.

Naruto refrained from answering, probably too focused to even hear his friend's concerned words. "Good talk," Pītā muttered, folding his arms as Naruto faltered.

The boy quickly lashed out an arm and sliced the trunk of the tree with his kunai knife, marking his increasingly impressive progress. "Look out below!" Naruto yelled, falling with the grace of a grand piano.

His sandals grinded against the tree for a moment before he pushed off, hitting the grass ground and rolling to lessen the impact. "Huh… you almost made it, a few more tries like that and you'll own this tree." Pītā flippantly stated, though was entirely sincere with his words.

Naruto beamed, as if his lips were capable of anything else. "Yeah, I'm getting stronger by the second, I can feel it!" He boasted, proudly jabbing a thumb against his own chest.

Pītā was about to reply, most likely with something of the comedic variety, when a feminine voice echoed through the forest. It was Sakura, calling out Naruto's name. The boy grinned upon hearing it, most likely unable to contain his excitement. He motioned for Pītā to follow him as he set off in the direction of Sakura's calling, eager to show the girl just how much progress he'd made.

Pītā stood there for a solid second, he hadn't heard Sakura call his name and he'd been nowhere in sight the previous night too. "What, no love for Pītā?" The boy chuckled to himself, sharing the joke with absolutely no-one before he leaped and span a web-line.

* * *

It was quiet inside Tazuna's hut, with nothing but the crashing and thrashing of the ocean waves intruding on the sombre silence. Dinner had been served, and for once, the young broken lad known as Inari had chosen to eat in the company of his grandfather's foreign guests. Naruto wasn't particularly fond of the silence, but it gave him less time to talk and more time to eat, shovelling food into his mouth in hopes that it would help him become stronger.

Kakashi had mumbled something about manners to the boy several times, and each time, the injured Jōnin's words had fallen on deaf ears. Tsunami didn't seem to mind, in fact, she seemed pleased that someone enjoyed her cooking so much. Sakura on the other hand, turned her nose up at the lad's lack of etiquette; the sheer volume of food he was consuming was beginning to make her feel a little nauseated.

Tazuna enjoyed his meal, throwing the occasional wink Inari's way, perhaps trying to encourage the boy to open up and take part a little. No such luck, as Inari continued to poke and prod at his food. Pītā, once again, had decided to eat alone. Despite the protests from his teammates, the red and blue misfit was much more comfortable on the roof.

Sat with a bowl in his hand and chopsticks in the other, he watched the almost black waves collide with one another some distance away. The moon hanged in the sky, suspended above, flanked by far off stars, scattered and spattered around it like some sort of painting. He was enjoying the peace, the silence and tranquillity. It was always a welcome break from the norm, a little time to reflect and spend within one's own thoughts.

Then his sensitive hearing picked up the distinct sound of Naruto yelling and what he believed to be the kid, Inari, screaming back at him. It was all a little hard to make out, even harder because Pītā wasn't exactly straining to hear it. But he heard something about Gatō, something about all of the training they'd been doing being absolutely worthless and...

"The strong always win and the weak always lose… that's a dark thing for an eight year old to say," Pītā muttered, he'd never met a kid that was so down all the time.

And suddenly, Pītā lost his appetite. The boy dropped his chopsticks into the almost empty bowl before he pulled his dark blue mask back over his nose. The light patter of a child's feet stomped outside, into the cool night air and Pītā gazed below to see Inari by himself, sulking at the edge of the dock.

The sight didn't make him move, it didn't make him feel compelled to do anything. He felt bad for the kid, sure, but he'd had an earful of his complaining and criticism. Tazuna had told Team 7 in confidence, related the story of how little Inari lost his father. It was upsetting, it really was. To hear about such injustice, knowing that nothing was done to stop it… it made Pītā's blood boil.

But it was in the past, they were the here and now. Pītā lost his parents, lost his uncle too. There were no tears, he'd never once cried about them. Not because he had no heart, or because he was too strong to cry. He'd never shed a tear simply because he hadn't known them, he felt no connection to them outside of his heritage and family name.

He was a baby when they'd perished, so he couldn't even put faces to their names. It was different, and Pītā knew that it wasn't the same thing as losing someone you had a real connection to. Take Sasuke for instance, Pītā didn't know the kid. In fact, the kid hadn't spoken a word to him, even during all of their time at the Academy.

But watching his family die before his very eyes, that must have been tough. Must've been the hardest thing in the world, absolutely gut wrenching. Again, Pītā couldn't understand, couldn't sympathize. That was simply the way things were, people lost people and it sucked. Man, did it suck. But the difference, the real difference, was in how said people handled the loss.

Inari grew up with a loving mother and a doting grandfather, Pītā grew up with an understanding aunt who'd been there for him since the beginning. Naruto and Sasuke, they'd had no-one. And it put things into perspective for the spider, how strong his friend really was.

If there was one thing Pītā hated, it was a quitter. Naruto didn't seem to fit that description, and he wouldn't have had it any other way. Inari on the other hand, he had a lot to learn. Yes, he was young, but so was Naruto.

Naruto simply chose not to cry anymore and set his sights on an ultimate goal, a goal he continued to remind everyone of, almost periodically. "So, if there's anyone who understands what you're going through, it's Naruto." The calm voice of Kakashi pulled Pītā from his musings, and upon looking over the roof's edge, the brunette saw that the Jōnin was chatting with Inari.

Most likely trying to encourage him to be a bit braver, to look at life with grit and determination, not with disdain and tear soaked eyes. "For a guy with no kids, Kakashi-Sensei would make one heck of a dad." Pītā smirked, backing away from the scene and leaving the rooftop.

* * *

It was early morning, around four A.M to be exact, and the inhabitants of Tazuna's comfy home by the sea were all sound asleep. Well, they should have been anyway. They needed to rest, to physically reboot themselves for whatever the day would bring.

Naruto was sprawled out on the floor of the guest room, baby blue pyjamas hugging his body as he snored and drooled all over the pillow beneath his head. Kakashi slept soundly, turned on his side with his back facing his students, some distance away from them on the hard wooden floor. Sakura was dressed in her pyjamas too, naturally pink in colour, but tossed and turned as she lay on the floor.

Emerald eyes fluttered open, lazily and half-lidded, the floor was not a comfortable place to sleep. She missed her bed, her soft and warm bed that she could just dive into and drift off to sleep without a care in the world. Staring up at the ceiling, she decided that she missed her parents too. Her father's terribly bad jokes that would only go appreciated by the comedian dressed in red and blue, her mother's constant nagging that only stemmed from her concern for her daughter.

She missed Konoha; just breathing in the air of the village set her at ease. It was nothing like the air by the sea, fresh and clean, pretty good at clearing the sinuses. The air of the Hidden Leaf Village was cosy, familiar and just screamed home sweet home. Brushing her long pink locks out of her face, the girl licked her lips, she was thirsty.

Sakura moved as quietly as she was able, rising off of the floor before halting in place and counting the number of slumbering people in the room. There should have been three, their sensei, the loudmouth and the one with the sticky hands. She counted two, both oblivious to the world around them while a member of their team was missing.

Abandoned sheets were scattered across the cold surface of the floor, Pītā's rucksack was gone too. "Where are you, Pītā Pākā?" Sakura softly murmured to herself, sneaking out of the room by way of the sliding door.

Bare feet moved across the hallway, the darkness of an inactive house getting gradually lighter the closer she got to the kitchen. Standing by the doorway of the brightly lit and frankly quite warm room, pink eyebrows arched in surprise as Sakura slid the door open.

The AWOL member of their group was sat at the kitchen table, rucksack splayed open across the surface reserved for eating, with all manner of tools and gizmos at his fingertips. It took the girl a second, just a second and no longer, to see that he'd dismantled a radio.

Sakura almost blew a fuse right then and there, she couldn't believe him. "Pītā! What the hell are you doing?!" She whispered, with such a venomous edge to it that the boy had to stop what he was doing and actually look at her.

Brown eyes widened a fraction, he was sure he hadn't made any noise. "Just… you know… nothing, not a thing, honest." He grinned, clearly lying through his teeth.

And he was still wearing that stupid mask; it was four A.M for God's sake!

Sakura had to refrain from stomping over to him, instead lightly gliding across the kitchen floor to stand by his side and place her fists on her waist. "That radio better be yours, Pītā." She warned, a rare instance where she was the one who bore down on the taller boy.

Pītā shrugged, he didn't see the harm in it. "First of all, good morning to you too, sunshine. Second of all, you look amazing for someone's who's just got out of bed. Third of all, no, it's not mine but I just borrowed it and I was gonna put it back together when I was done, swearsies. Fourth of all—" The spider raised a finger as he was about to list off another point of his, only to have it batted away by a fuming Sakura.

"You're an idiot, a reckless idiot who goes around destroying other people's belongings! Who does that?!" She whispered harshly, but was caught off-guard when Pītā shushed her with a gloved finger.

He was right up in her face, their noses almost touching as he attempted to defend himself. "I do, and for good reason too. So before you try to tear me a new one and scream the house down, have some hot cocoa and I'll fill you in on what I'm trying to do. Sound good?" Pītā questioned, finger pressed softly against her lips.

The blush on the girl's face was apparent, though Pītā didn't notice it. "Fine… but it better be good," she muttered, coyly removing his finger as she waited for the heat to leave her cheeks.

He watched her take a seat, the vacant wooden chair next to his, before he sighed in relief. "Don't worry; I make the best cocoa this side of the Land of Fire." Pītā boasted, getting back to work as she diligently sipped the mug of hot chocolate sitting on the table.

Her eyes lit up, it really was good. "Wow, this is… okay, this is good but I meant whatever it is you're doing with that radio. What possessed you to think that this was okay?" Sakura queried, resisting the powerful urge to keep drinking as she gazed over the mess in Pītā's hands.

He'd taken apart an old radio, deprived it of a particularly long blue wire and clipped the wire's insulation at both ends with a pair of wire stripping pliers. "What Kakashi-Sensei said the other day, about Zabuza being alive? Well, we tangled with that glorified jock enough to know the basics of what he's capable of. This tracker ninja, Zabuza's scrappy sidekick, we know nothing about him. Except…" Pītā trailed off as he wrapped the long wire around the broad blade of a kunai knife, waiting for Sakura to pitch in.

She pondered for a moment, slightly curious as to what he was doing with the knife. "Except what?" The still a little tired Kunoichi responded, her sleepy mind not quite up to snuff yet.

Pītā smirked, he'd never seen her so clueless before. "Except that he likes to use senbon, that's literally all we have. I couldn't sleep just thinking about it, we're essentially headed into a fight that we're not prepared for, there's an unknown element that we can't plan against. And I hate that, I hate not knowing all the answers." He aired, slightly surprising the girl at his side.

With the way his hands were working, and the words coming out of his masked mouth, Sakura didn't really know what to say. Perhaps she hadn't spent quite enough time with him yet, but it seemed that there was a calculative, formulaic mind at work beneath all of the wise cracks and sarcastic comments.

So, the pre-teen simply continued to listen, taking the odd sip of cocoa every now and then as she curled her legs up on her chair and watched him work. "So, rather than sleep like a regular person, I had to do something, anything that might help us even the odds against Mochi and… and… see? I don't even have a hilarious nickname for the guy yet!" Pītā shook his head, a little frustration fuelling the fire.

Sakura tilted her head slightly, pink eyebrows narrowed. "You think they're hilarious?" She piped up, managing to pull Pītā's attention away from his little science project.

"You don't?" He hit back, before his chocolate coloured eyes once again zoned in on his craft.

Without taking his eyes off of the kunai, he reached over the table for something. "Thanks," Pītā muttered, feeling a battery being rolled into his hand by his unofficial assistant.

The girl smiled, before her lips curled downward in a show of concern. "Shouldn't you be wearing rubber gloves?" Sakura pressed, showcasing the slight knowledge she did possess of electrical equipment and voltage.

Pītā was mildly impressed; it wasn't something that was taught at the Academy, he'd had to actively seek out such information and knowledge. "Nah, it's just a household battery. Their voltage is usually pretty low, around three volts, tops. Why? Worried about me?" He jested, throwing a glance her way.

The pyjama clad Genin offered him a roll of the eyes, before she set an empty mug down on the table. "Worried you'll shock yourself silly, yeah." Sakura claimed, pouting a little.

Pītā took a moment to stare at her, stop what he was doing and stare at her so intently that it froze the girl in place. Like he wasn't just seeing her, but seeing inside her, his eyes scanning every inch of her face. Her cheeks burned, she'd never noticed how fierce his gaze was.

"Pītā?" She muttered, almost breathless with the way time seemed to slow down.

The kid cocked an eyebrow, as if confused by something. "You've got a chocolate moustache," he informed her, his voice cracking and breaking up into laughter.

Sakura punched his arm in frustration, before she rubbed her knuckles in pain, it was like punching concrete. "Idiot," she mumbled, using her pink sleeve to wipe the chocolate off of her top lip.

Pītā snorted, chuckling quietly to himself as he resumed his work. "Man, I needed that." He remarked, a fond smile lighting up his face.

Everything had been so serious thus far, the dangers they had faced, the violence they'd been subjected to, their days at the Academy seemed so far away. He didn't feel like a child anymore, he doubted any of them did. Kakashi had tried to drum into their heads how the life of a ninja was one of growth, of constant danger and sacrifice.

Pītā hadn't realized until then, that they'd sacrificed their childhoods the very second they'd decided to be ninja. Everyone was in such a hurry, every child in such a rush to grow up. He didn't mind growing up, it was a natural part of life, it couldn't be stopped or delayed in any way. But he didn't want to forget how to laugh, how to smile at the simple things in life or how to tell the punchline of a joke in the most perfect way possible.

"So… what are you making anyway?" Sakura piqued up, the pinkish hue of her cheeks having died down.

Pītā surprised her by adding a little unconventional flare to his tinkering, attaching the loose ends of the wire to both the positive and negative ends of the battery, employing the only glue-like substance he had at his disposal… his webbing.

A quick two fingered tap of the palm of his hand and Pītā had finished, a complete circuit consisting of a kunai wrapped in insulated wire, connected to a low voltage battery by spider-silk. "Made, finished, finito! Behold, a common magnet!" He held the contraption carefully, letting his spectator take a good long look.

She scrunched up her brow, taking in the sight before her. "A magnet? That's your big plan? You're going to stop them… with a magnet?" Sakura queried, the scepticism and complete disappointment in her tone was almost palpable.

Pītā was almost disheartened, shaking his head as he expounded upon things. "I never said it'd stop them, I said it might come in handy against the masked wonder and his senbon of death. It's not much but hey, at least it's an idea, right?" He asked, her lack of faith now beginning to cause self-doubt within the Shinobi.

Sakura clicked her tongue; she still wasn't sold on the idea. "I guess…" she drawled, she didn't see how a magnet could possibly make a lick of difference when up against the Demon of the Hidden Mist and his partner.

Pītā sighed, everybody took the practicality of science for granted when people could use Chakra to walk on walls or make carbon copies of themselves. "It's better than just hurling this at their heads," he reasoned, reaching into one of the compartments on his flak jacket to fish out a yellow yo-yo.

Sakura had to face palm, he'd been carrying the damned thing ever since the moment they'd first met Kakashi-Sensei. "I'm going back to bed; I'll try to sleep off some of the insanity I've been exposed to. You should get some shut eye too, Pītā." She pulled herself out of her chair, her bare feet once again making contact with the chilly wooden floor.

"Be sure to burn your PJs, insanity's tough to scrub out of most fabrics." He called after her, smirking as she refrained to reply and instead left without another word.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** There we have it, Team 7 have gotten in some last minute training before the big face off and Pītā has decided to innovate an old radio at the Tazuna homestead. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, which was a lot calmer in tone than the last one. Stay tuned for the next one, as a demon threatens to break its seal and Pītā still can't decide whether Haku's a boy or a girl!

 **Guest Reviews:**

 **atom king:** That's a good question, a very good question. Some fillers might make it into the story but they won't be the main focus, maybe just an opportunity for some character development, which is always a great thing. As for the movies, I'm not sure. Maybe, maybe not. I'll give them a watch and see if I can find a natural use for Pītā but if it doesn't work, it probably ain't happening :P

 **Guest1:** Neither did I, but after reading a few stories on here and actually taking the time to sit down and watch the anime, I've really become infatuated with the world. And I just really thought it'd be cool to squeeze Spidey in there somewhere, that's where this stemmed from. So you're talking to a Naruto rookies yourself, I'm getting a ton of help with this story and I couldn't be more grateful. And yeah, Little!Pītā is supremely badass, don't mess with him and his quip fu!

 **Guest2:** Thank you very much, my friend. I adore writing for Pītā and Sakura, who in my opinion, gets a lot of unnecessary hate. She's a great character and I really want to highlight that in this story, no bashing on anyone here :)

 **Guest3:** Well, here's the next chapter, hope you liked it. The Wave arc will conclude next chapter, I promise. There was just a little too much content so I had to split the chapter into two, the calm before the storm and the clash with Zabuza, hope you understand. Pītā has his ways, he'll just have to keep his mouth shut if he doesn't want to piss off every ninja in every neighboring village. Who am I kidding? We're talking about Spider-Man here!

 **coldblue:** Another excellent review, I'll try and answer everything I can. First off, I've thought about this a lot and I think I have decided to put the inception of Pītā's clan around a similar time Kaguya gained her God-like powers. So, they're pretty ancient in that respect. Second, I'm open to considering a lot of things when it comes to Pītā's abilities, but I've been advised to keep it balanced with just two, Earth and Wind. Maybe as time goes on, Pītā might learn more, specifically Lightning but for now, the plan is just two.

I'd be totally down with Pītā expanding his spider-sense to the point that he could sense Chakra, not just danger. So, that may be a thing that happens, thanks for the brilliant idea there. Team 7 will definitely interact with Sasuke in the following chapters, the chapters covering the Chunin Exams to be exact. I touched upon it a little bit in this chapter but yeah, you'll see that happening. And Naruto and Sasuke were rivals since early childhood, even with Pītā taking Sasuke's place on Team 7, there's still that rivalry there, I'd never take away such a big part of the story and their characters like that.

The Animal Summoning Contract is something I've thought about and if people want it, then I'll give one to Pītā but the one thing I'm a little stumped on is what kind of animal it should be. Kidomaru already has the Spider Summoning Contract and almost every other character has a contract that doesn't correspond with them. Naruto has toads, despite resembling a fox. Sasuke has snakes, despite resembling a raven and Sakura has slugs... which doesn't even come close to corresponding with her. So, I don't know, I might figure something out. Maybe a tarantula contract? Not sure, but I like your idea of the Salamander Contract.

As for romance, anything's possible. What could be now, might not be the case down the road. So, pretty much everyone besides Hinata is fair game, I don't think it'd be wise changing her relationship with Naruto but if you or anyone else wants to convince me, then go right ahead. I might put up a poll when this story gains a little more steam, but that won't be until after the time-skip, so not for a while at least. It wouldn't decide for me either, just influence my decision a little more. Thanks for the great review, and for continuing to support the story, much appreciated, my friend :)


	6. At Wave's End

**Author's Note:** Man, this was a tough one. Really, I had a hard time writing this. A large part of that is because it deviates from the source material a little but I wanted to stay true to canon and keep some of the bridge battle's best bits intact. This is Pītā's story, but he can't always be the hero. Remember, guys, he's a Spider-Man, not a Superman.

Anyway, I hope you guys really enjoy the chapter, I worked super hard on it and I had a ton of help getting things right (I hope) from **Deadpoolsson** , he's an incredibly creative guy and has been lending a hand every step of the way. So, without further ado, read on!

 **Disclaimer:** Spider-Man and all related characters are owned by Marvel and in turn, Disney. Naruto and all related characters are owned by Masashi Kishimoto, I own nothing.

* * *

 **At Wave's End (Land of Waves Arc)**

The sky grew lighter, taking on a soft shade of blue as morning dawned. Kakashi, Tazuna, and two members of Team 7 were being waved off by Tsunami. The veteran Jōnin was back on his feet, a little earlier than had been advised but he couldn't afford to throw away any more time, Tazuna's bridge was almost complete and they had a job to do.

The bundle of energy known as Naruto was nowhere in sight, having pushed his little body to the limits and completely exhausted himself. He was sound asleep inside Tazuna's hut, sprawled out underneath a few blankets, on the floor of the guest room. They hadn't woken him, in fact, Kakashi had ordered Pītā and Sakura to leave him be.

He needed to rest for a while, regain his strength. The orange clad Genin would've been no use to anyone on the verge of blacking out, so Tsunami had kindly offered to look after him while the rest of Team 7 escorted Tazuna to the bridge. They set off, two men and two children, leaving a slumbering and snoring Naruto behind for his own good.

It didn't take long to reach the construct, the towering marvel of modern ingenuity that would've brought trade and traffic to their sorry gathering of islands. Pītā was on point, Kakashi was sharp enough to use whatever trick the kid had up his sleeve to their advantage, almost like a human radar of some kind. Kakashi followed him up, with Tazuna towing after him and Sakura bringing up the rear.

He was covered; nobody was going to get anywhere near him on their watch. "What the…?" Tazuna muttered, stumbling upon the startling sight of his colleagues and subordinates groaning on the hard concrete of the bridge.

They'd been attacked, assaulted by some unseen force and it immediately put the man's guard detail on alert. "Stay sharp, kids… we're not alone." Kakashi calmly advised, nodding as Pītā dropped back to flank Tazuna.

So the man was sandwiched between two Genin, a girl with an extremely short temper and a boy stronger than any man he'd ever known. Lead by a very powerful, famous ninja, Tazuna felt a little more secure than he had the first time they'd been subjected to… the mist.

It came thick and fast, rolling around them and clouding their vision at such an impossible rate, it was clearly unnatural. "The mist again? Then that means…" Sakura trailed off, whipping a kunai out of the holster on her thigh.

Pītā kept in tight formation, his eyes scanning every which way in tandem with his female friend. "Yep, Mochi's back for a second playdate." He jested, not bothering with a kunai as his fists balled.

Like a call back to just a few days earlier, a rough, jagged voice cut straight through the mist and managed to reach their ears. "Can you blame me? Our last altercation didn't end so well," Zabuza, the Demon of the Hidden Mist, made himself heard but still unseen.

"That's a bit of an understatement, I almost killed you." Kakashi dryly remarked, employing a tone so vague and disinterested that it was almost insulting.

Zabuza chuckled, he didn't seem to mind. "Not even close, copy ninja." Upon delivery of those words, several mirror images of Zabuza blinked into existence around Team 7 and their client.

Kakashi wasn't surprised; he knew Zabuza wouldn't have gotten so close so quickly. "Water clones?" Pītā queried, his voice laced with nothing but disdain for the Jutsu.

His teacher nodded, answering the pre-teen's question with those exact same words. "Water clones," the man confirmed, earning a dry scoff out of Pītā.

"Shocking," he muttered, he'd had his fill of the blasted things when they'd first fought.

Kakashi, fully trusting in his pupil's abilities, smirked beneath his dark blue mask. "Take them, Pītā." The man ordered the boy, drawing a wide grin out of him.

Pītā didn't hesitate to crack his knuckles; he'd been looking forward to a good scrap all week. "Those are the magic words," he quipped, before literally disappearing.

Less than a second later, the red and blue Shinobi blitzed back into view and every single water clone unceremoniously dropped to the bridge's surface, splashing and crashing back into its crystal blue form. No kunai, no shuriken necessary. He teared them apart bare handed, showcasing that monstrous spider-like strength.

Zabuza took the chance to show himself, though as Kakashi had predicted, was nowhere near close to them and stood at the other end of the incomplete bridge. "Really starting to hate this kid, he's almost as good as you, Haku… almost." The towering demon spoke, his vicious voice slightly muffled by the bandages covering his jaw.

The hunter-nin, the very same ninja that had apparently 'killed' Zabuza, stood beside him and stared at the Leaf ninja through that vacant mask of his. "So, you were right, Kakashi." Tazuna observed, apparently it did pay to be paranoid in their line of work.

The silver haired veteran didn't bother to nod or even face the bridge builder; he chose to stare down Zabuza with that eerily calm eye of his. "It was all an act, a play to save his… sensei? I'm not even sure what you two are to each other, brothers-in-arms in the mercenary game perhaps… how quaint." Kakashi spoke honestly; it didn't make sense to him that the Demon of the Hidden Mist had taken to recruiting young ninja.

This so called Haku visibly tensed, apparently offended by the copy-nin's choice of words. "It's all right, Haku, no need to get upset. You've hit the nail on the head, Kakashi. If you've got the talent for it, there's nothing wrong with making a little money here and there." Zabuza placed one of his large hands on the teenager's shoulder, halting him in place.

Sakura frowned; she'd seen the desperation and poverty of the Wave first-hand. Every time she had to accompany Tazuna into the marketplace, her adolescent green eyes had taken in the sheer despair and hopeless nature of it all. The people of the Wave suffered day in and day out, all because one man said so.

"You're okay with making money off of other people's misfortune? What is wrong with you?" Sakura aired her thoughts, surprising the scariest person present.

Zabuza chuckled; he actually admired the girl's moxie. "Naïve girl, what goes on in this waste of water and islands is of no concern to me. I'm here for one thing and one thing only, I've got a job to do." The man answered, showcasing the depravity and carelessness that Sakura had expected.

Taking his hand off of Haku's slender shoulder, Zabuza urged him onward. "Take the kid in the red and blue, but for God's sake, be careful… he's a spider." The man warned, he didn't want to take any chances, even with a spider so young.

Haku froze for a moment, his entire body solid and rigid. "Unlike you, I won't get sloppy." The boy knew what a spider was, knew what they were capable of.

He was no idiot, he'd heard the stories, some related to him by Zabuza himself. Strength, speed, agility and durability, all at superhuman levels. The ability to adhere to any surface without the use of Chakra, and somehow organically spin silk from their wrists, they were no laughing matter. He'd been on edge in the forest when he'd stumbled upon the boy in orange; the spider had surprised him and literally came out of nowhere.

The red and blue ninja stood opposite him, separated by a considerable distance of concrete. Haku took every second of time he could afford to scan him with his eyes, everything about him screamed spider. The way he stood, not prepared and tense but loose and ready to move, like he was about to pounce at any possible moment.

Haku steeled himself; he'd fought far more impressive foes, ninja far more skilled than the Genin in front of him. The boy was psyching himself out, they were surrounded by a body of water, virtually everything was a weapon to him.

Pītā had a hard time reading the kid with that goofy mask on, but had noticed something quite interesting. As soon as the so called tracker ninja had opened his mouth, Pītā had put two and two together. The girl in the pink kimono and Zabuza's partner-in-crime were one and the same, which presented a lot more questions than answers really.

Like, why hadn't he made a move back in the forest? Why was he dressed in a kimono and pretending to be a girl? Pītā hadn't a clue on the latter, it sort of weirded him out though.

"So… Haku, that's your name, right? Haku? Sure it isn't Hana or Hitomi?" The Shukeikō heir mocked, though was unable to judge the boy's reaction on account of his ANBU mask.

Haku bristled slightly, he didn't appreciate the jab at his activities outside of the whole 'tracker ninja' thing. "What I do in my spare time has nothing to do with you," The brown clad boy chanced a step closer, as if squaring up to the lowly Genin.

Pītā took the movement as a challenge, one he wasn't going to back down from. "Hey, I'm not judging. Whatever makes you feel comfortable, it's your thing, man. But just so we're clear, you're a guy that dresses up as a girl, right? It's not the other way round? Because I'm still a little confused here, I don't know whether to fight you or flirt with you." The brunette chided, clearly hoping to instigate some sort of reaction.

The kid was far too calm for his liking, very similar to Kakashi in that vein. Pītā wanted him annoyed, wanted him riled up and careless. It made things much easier, especially against an opponent that he knew next to nothing about. Zabuza liked water clones, liked to use a lot of water Jutsu and his humungous sword. But Haku, the crossdressing kid, was a complete wild card. Like Pītā had told Sakura the night before, he was an unknown element that threw things a little off-balance.

"I'm a boy," Haku, the demon's right hand Shinobi, stated.

Pītā smirked, just begging the kid to make the first move. "Not with eyelashes like that," he chimed, enjoying himself a little too much for everyone present.

Even his teammates were a little perplexed, the wit and bravado he was showcasing. Kakashi hadn't seen anything quite like it, not in all his years as a ninja of the Leaf. Ninja liked to talk, they liked to spell everything out for their opponent, what moves they were going to use, how they were going to beat said opponent. But Pītā seemed to have a knack for getting under people's skin; he was ridiculously good at it in fact.

So good, that Sakura herself was feeling a little overly confident. "What kind of person hides behind an ANBU mask?" She pressed, kunai at the ready as she stuck to the bridge builder like glue.

Kakashi had an answer, hoping to achieve the same thing Pītā was after, riling up the enemy. "The cowardly kind," he remarked, prompting Zabuza to narrow his eyes.

They had no idea what they were talking about, but it didn't matter. When they finally realized what they were up against, it would be far too late. Haku wasn't like the average ninja, he'd cut down every single Shinobi and Kunoichi that'd been thrown his way. In fact, Zabuza considered the teenager to be even more powerful than him, not that he'd admit it outright.

Tazuna, locked behind an airtight security of Leaf ninja, gave his two cents as well. "So all that about being a tracker-ninja, just trying to protect your village, was just a load of bull, eh?" He posed, his muscle's tense and eyes fixed on the demon and his protégé ahead.

The Hidden Mist defector chuckled, he wasn't worried. "Haku, you know what to do." He cryptically stated, confusing and slightly worrying the opposing ninja.

The boy in question stared down his foe, possibly the toughest he might've faced if their legends were to be believed. "Yes, Zabuza." He replied, though a subtle hint of shakiness was present somewhere within.

Not because he was scared or frightened, far from it in fact. But because he really didn't want to have to kill two children, a boy and a girl, in order to get to their target. He was a child himself, fifteen years old but still, he'd never had to kill a kid before. It almost made him hesitate, almost.

And Zabuza saw it, spotted it from a mile away. His Haku was having second thoughts, doubting himself, actually thinking about what he was about to do. The towering man had to remind himself that this was the first time Haku had faced someone around his own age, a little on the younger side. It was tough, harsh and brutal. But in order for them to complete their task and gain enough money to put toward their true goal, the bridge builder needed to die.

And the kids were simply getting in the way, especially the mouthy one, the damned spider. The man opened his mouth, words beginning to form but stopped short; Haku forced himself out of his thoughts and proceeded to act.

Kakashi tensed, he didn't know what the boy was capable of and he was putting tremendous trust in his student's abilities to put him on the frontline. "Ready yourself, Pītā." He ordered, prompting the Shukeikō heir to nod as he shook one of his hands in anticipation.

"Aye aye, cap'n." The boy humorously responded, waiting for his spider-sense to help him out a little.

As if on cue, Haku blurred forward, showcasing frightening speed. Spinning, pirouetting on his sandal, gaining a hefty amount of momentum as he careened right for Pītā. The spider was caught off-guard a little, he was actually a little impressed with how fast the fake was moving. But his abilities allowed him a little leeway, letting him see each and every one of Haku's movements, as if he was moving in slow-motion.

His spider-sense blared, lightning dancing across his skull as he reacted. Haku lashed out of the spin, gripping a throwing needle with the intention to… kill? He wasn't sure yet, he had to see how the fight went first. His mask conveyed nothing, hiding his face as Pītā gripped his wrist effortlessly, completely halting it in place.

Haku resisted, his arm shaking and squirming in the spider's vice-like grasp to no avail. "Ah ah ah, no wriggling. Seriously though, wriggle again and I'll snap your wrist like a toothpick." Pītā threatened, his once jovial voice employing a much sharper edge.

Haku's arm immediately stopped resisting, the painted on eyes of his mask staring back into focused brown orbs. "I wonder if you're brave enough to back up that claim," he challenged, still using that chillingly calm tone.

Pītā's eyes, the only feature visible to anyone, narrowed. "Could say the same thing about you, sidekick. What was that just then? Hesitation? Caution? Fear?" He pressed, squeezing his fingers a little to test the lad.

Haku convulsed, he'd never been exposed to such monstrous strength. "More so mercy, you and your teammate, your sensei, you don't have to die today." He attempted to appeal to the boy, managing to save face and keep his steady yet soft tone.

The offer just made Pītā angrier, his grip threatening to tighten yet again. "But Tazuna does? What kind of choice is that? Give up and let an old man and his dream die? Not gonna happen, pal." The spider spoke, his jaw setting as his blood began to boil.

"We all have dreams, not all of them can become reality." Haku commented, before he slipped yet another senbon out of his sleeve and let it fall into his free hand.

Pītā felt the immediate danger, saw it too. His own free hand caught Haku's wrist yet again, their arms crossing over one another. He wasn't sure what the kid was up to, getting both of his arms stuck was a rookie mistake.

Pītā couldn't read him, that damned mask was still getting in the way. "Run outta arms?" He mocked, earning nothing but silence from the slightly older boy.

A moment that lasted seconds, but could've lasted eons for both parties involved. "It didn't have to go this way," Haku finally spoke, quietly and quite dejectedly.

Almost as if he didn't want to do what he was about to, letting Pītā detect a little remorse in the false hunter-nin's actions. The brunette heard a clank of metal hit the solid concrete beneath them and his eyes darted to a discarded senbon needle. Chocolate orbs widened as Haku began to cycle through hand signs at an alarming rate, his fingers moving faster and faster as the act went on.

Kakashi felt the same shock Pītā did, his singular eye also widening a fraction. "Hand signs with a single hand? Who is this kid?" He murmured, having never seen such an act carried out before in his entire ninja career.

Pītā, with both of his hands occupied, did the only sane thing he could've done in such a surreal situation. "Nope, not happening." In all fairness, he offered the warning to Haku before he leaned his head back.

Skin collided with porcelain as Pītā head-butted Haku, employing enough force to throw the Shinobi a considerable distance. His mask abruptly shattered, pieces and shards of the white ANBU mask fell to the ground as Haku rolled on his back. He managed to recover from the unexpected and rather unorthodox manner of attack, landing on his feet and facing down the Hidden Leaf ninja once again.

A notable frown was etched onto the kid's lips, as those same big doe eyes that Pītā had seen a few days earlier gazed at him. "Jeez, what a sourpuss." Pītā teased, though was actually a little surprised he hadn't completely knocked the guy out.

The mask must've absorbed some of the blow, but he was glad that he'd gotten rid of it. "Just a delay, nothing more." Haku mumbled, free to use both hands in order to speed up the process of making hand signs.

Pītā was about to act, had his spider-sense not told him to back off. "Pītā! Be careful!" Sakura called out, brandishing a surprising amount of concern for the lad.

Haku's hands finally stopped and it seemed like everything else did too, the spider simply watched and waited. "Secret Jutsu: A Thousand Needles of Death." The boy murmured, almost quiet enough for even Pītā to miss it.

His sandal-clad foot stomped the ground beneath, splashing a small puddle of dull, drab water as his Jutsu went to work. Pītā felt his spider-sense blast his senses, and his eyes took in the image of water rising off of the bridge's surface, suspended in mid-air and moving and flowing as if it was a solid mass.

Haku used his Chakra to turn the otherwise harmless liquid into several hundred shards of razor sharp ice. "Appropriate name for the Jutsu," Pītā swallowed, he hadn't seen such mastery and precision with Chakra before, sans Kakashi-Sensei.

"Pītā, get out of there!" The Jōnin in question yelled, one of the rare instances where his voice wasn't a calm whisper.

The ice needles converged, centring in on their prime target. Pītā's spider-sense blared, prompting him to react quickly as time seemed to slow to a steady crawl. The now unmasked Haku watched silently as the ice shards hit their mark, exploding in a fierce, freezing mixture of water and ice. He waited for the air to settle, hoping to find his unique opponent out of commission.

The attack subsided, and Pītā was nowhere to be found. "Where did he—?" Haku began, incredulous and bewildered, but cut himself off as something tagged the loose material of his brown kimono.

He glanced down to find some kind of organic silk adhesive, woven to resemble a strand, connected to his chest. Realization dawned on the lad, and he snapped his attention skyward, but he failed to evade. A pair of sandals hit the boy square in the chest; Pītā used enough force to really knock the wind out of his sails.

The acrobat flipped backwards as Haku once again found himself on the floor; the battle really wasn't going his way. The lad struggled to stand; he'd never been struck so hard before. Haku gazed Zabuza's way, but found no aid in the form of a stern expression.

Zabuza reserved his judgement; he really was beginning to hate spiders. Less venomous thoughts plagued Haku's mind, though there was no denying that he was physically outmatched. In terms of strength, spiders were among the strongest ninja to have ever walked the Earth. There had been others stronger, like the scorpions for instance, but coupled with their off the charts speed and agility, they were some of the toughest warriors out there.

Haku had to wonder just how such a strong bloodline had managed to die out; perhaps the mystery had been lost to time, like many other myths and legends. The boy felt something warm trickle down his chin and brought an arm up to his mouth, wiping a thin stream of blood away with his sleeve. The ninja, who'd lost his family too, managed to even out his strained breathing.

"First blood… I'd expect nothing less from a spider, savage little suckers when they want to be." Zabuza chipped in, that gravelly tone of his doing nothing to deter from the intense staring match taking place between his student and Kakashi's.

Speak of the devil, the silver haired man hit back. "Prey, meet predator." Kakashi made the analogy, he found it fitting anyway.

Sakura glanced from her teacher to her teammate, the so-called predator. And even she had to admit, she'd never seen such strength, such speed and above all, such bravery. She'd always considered the lad a weird one, so strange given his comedic demeanour. Everything was a joke to him; almost every single word that came out of his mouth was either an insult or a witticism.

But when the going got tough, Pītā really got going. She refrained from voicing her faith, the Kunoichi didn't want to jinx him or distract him. So she carried out the task given to her instead, she guarded Tazuna with her life.

Haku squared off against Pītā once more, his shoulders slumped slightly as he saw no other option. "Haku, you better find some other way to win and you better do it now." Zabuza ordered, mirroring the young ninja's rapid thoughts.

He couldn't beat the spider in a purely physical fight, even one so young proved to be quite the challenge. "Remember, you drove me to this." Haku accused the Genin as a dangerous blue energy began to seep out of the boy, swirling around his person like smoke from a fire.

Sakura's emerald eyes widened, if the energy was what she thought it was then that spelled trouble. "Kakashi-Sensei, I can see his Chakra!" She alerted the veteran of the Leaf, though the man had already noticed the phenomenon.

His lone grey eye spoke volumes; the amount of Chakra on show was astonishing. "I see it too, Sakura." Kakashi muttered, the almost non-existent concern he'd held for Pītā slowly rising by the second.

The spider's extremely sharp hearing had picked up the back and forth behind him and he butted in, a question rolling off the tip of his tongue. "That's bad, right?" Pītā queried, his previously relaxed stance stiffening up quite a bit.

Kakashi nodded, almost unable to respond. "Yes, very bad." The former ANBU captain answered honestly, giving the red and blue pre-teen a retort he'd been expecting but hadn't wanted.

"Great, thanks for the heads up. Whoa, getting a serious case of the chills right now." Pītā voiced, the air around him cooling to noticeably colder temperatures.

It had gotten so cold in fact, that Kakashi, Zabuza and Pītā could all see their own breath, even through the materials of their masks. "What's with the light show, snowflake? That's your thing, right? Ice?" The last of his kind questioned, not enjoying the terrible feeling that had crept up on him.

Haku's lips didn't curl upwards; they weren't necessarily exuding hate either. "I'll let you be the judge of that," the boy mysteriously shot back, confusing Pītā to no end.

And then he raised his hands once again, intent on performing yet another dangerous Jutsu. "Secret Jutsu!" Haku began, as the water at Pītā's feet moved and took form.

The kid's spider-sense blared; he needed to put the guy out of commission and fast. "You are not finishing that sentence!" Pītā claimed, bolting straight for Haku.

He'd have reached him too, probably would have knocked his androgynous block off, had three more Zabuza water clones not blindsided him. "Kakashi-Sensei! Zabuza's helping him, you have to help Pītā!" Sakura yelled, though her sensei was already on the move.

He sprinted about halfway, watching as Pītā ducked, dodged and dipped away from sword slash after sword slash. Pītā was apparently far too quick for whatever Haku was planning, so he deduced Zabuza had felt the need to keep the kid on his toes until the Jutsu was ready. It was one of those techniques that took time, a little bit of a downside to some of the more powerful ones.

Kakashi was about to dive straight in, fight right alongside his student, but halted in his tracks. "Going somewhere, Kakashi?" Zabuza, what was apparently the real Zabuza, asked with an effortlessly vicious tone.

The Leaf Shinobi narrowed his one eye, fists balled and ready to hit something. "Get out of my way, demon." He warned, once again employing such an alien tone that it surprised Sakura and even Tazuna.

The pink haired Kunoichi had never heard her sensei so angry before, so full of rage. Everything about him was threatening, the look in his grey eye, his stance, everything. And Zabuza simply stood there, not moving an inch, with his muscular arms folded over his wide chest. As if he was mocking her teacher, right to his mask covered face.

"Your kid's done, copy-nin. As soon as Haku gets that Jutsu up… well, might as well notify his loved ones. Oh… oh, that's right. Kid doesn't have anyone, does he?" Zabuza grinned, so wide and tempting that it was clearly visible, even underneath all of his bandages.

Pītā planted his sandals on the chest of the last water clone, before he back flipped with a strong kick to the elemental creation's jaw. Its head snapped upwards, before exploding into a geyser-like display of water.

He'd watched the water around him begin to take shape, slowly creeping along the surface of the bridge to eventually rise up and crystalize. The clones had kept him on his toes; he hadn't been able to even get close to Haku. So it came as no surprise when the Jutsu completed itself, surrounding Pītā in all its icy glory.

"Crystal Ice Mirrors!" Haku belted out, taking in his craftsmanship as it circled his elusive enemy.

Large, person-sized slabs of pure, unfiltered ice flanked Pītā at every turn. They had him trapped, several ice mirrors even cut off a potential exit above, reflecting Pītā's red and blue colours and absolute isolation. Like a dome of freezing cold death, a tomb that chilled him to the very bone.

Kakashi watched as his student practically disappeared, trapped inside a Jutsu he'd never laid eyes on before… or eye, singular. Sweat was beginning to amass beneath his forehead protector, he didn't like it one bit. Zabuza on the other hand, was enjoying every single second of it.

Sakura gasped as Pītā blinked from view, a dome of flawless ice obstructing her vision. "Pītā..." she breathed, her little heart was beginning to beat against her chest.

Just where the heck was Naruto? Was he really still sleeping? His team needed him, Sakura needed him… Pītā needed him. Thoughts raced through the girl's mind, what was she supposed to do? Zabuza wasn't about to let Kakashi aid the spider, what if she…?

"Don't even think about it, Sakura." Swiftly, almost as if he'd read her mind, Kakashi had shut that idea down.

Sakura turned to her teacher, her mentor, with begging eyes. "Sensei, he'll die in there! I have to help him, please!" She pleaded, tears stinging her eyes but she refused to let them flow freely.

Zabuza raised his arm, gripping the hilt of his oversized sword as he addressed the young Kunoichi. "Better listen to your sensei, girl. Unlike Haku, I have no problem with killing kids, even pretty little princesses like you. 'Sides, you leave your post and I slaughter the bridge builder. What's it gonna be, sweetheart?" The missing-nin teased, that venomous voice of his taking on a patronizing tone.

Sakura shuddered, she felt sick, wanted to scrub herself the very second he'd called her 'sweetheart'. "Back off, you walking tumour." She hit back, raising her kunai and narrowing her emerald eyes.

She'd obey her teacher and stay on her post, for now. Kakashi didn't need to acknowledge it, he knew full well that she'd carry out her task; she was a good soldier like that. All eyes focused their attention back on Haku and his trapped game, the visibly shivering little spider.

Haku calmly stepped forward as the mirrors of the ice dome began to glow, giving off unnatural warmth that lasted for only a few split seconds. Pītā watched as the false hunter-nin stepped into one of the ice mirrors, literally walked right into it and appeared on the other side, completely replacing Pītā's bewildered reflection with several of his own.

In fact, Pītā was now flanked on all sides by mirror images of Haku. "Okay, that's… well, congratulations, you're officially the creepiest dude I've ever met." He had to hand it to the boy; he was still finding brand new ways to really up the weirdness of the entire encounter.

Haku… or rather, all fifty three images of Haku, simply stared at the Genin. "You still manage to find the humour in such a dire set of circumstances, I admire your spirit." His voice, his still unsettlingly calm voice, came from everywhere at once.

Pītā's head snapped to the left, darted to the right, he couldn't get a fix on where the voice was originating from. Even with his enhanced senses, all he was seeing and hearing was Haku, just everywhere around him. It was almost disorienting, so much so that even his spider-sense hadn't detected where the real danger was. He wasn't sure if it was the brittle cold, the pounding in his head or the serious case of double vision he was experiencing.

Perhaps a nasty combination of the three…

Haku made the first move, swiftly brandishing a fistful of senbon in every single one of his mirror images. "You're sharp, resourceful, and you possess strength the likes of which I've never seen. Just surrender and I won't have to kill you; it'd be such a waste." The boy appealed, that distinctly feminine voice of his insulting Pītā with such a proposition.

Pītā gained his bearings, giving up was not an option for him. "Surrender? This word is… strange to me," he mocked, fishing into one of the compartments on his red stylized flak jacket for a little trinket of his own.

The corner of Haku's lips tugged downward, a frown painted across his soft features. "I gave you a chance, I'm sorry you have a death wish." He apologized, before swiping with his arm.

Senbon sliced through the air, needles sharp enough to pierce even the toughest armour when thrown with comparable strength. Pītā whipped out whatever contraption he had stored in his jacket and threw it to the ground beneath him, a kunai, wrapped in insulated wires and attached to a household battery, embedded itself in the concrete surface of the bridge.

Four senbon that previously aimed directly for Pītā, diverted their course mid-air, being attracted to the hastily made make-shift magnet on the ground. Pītā folded his arms over his chest, a supremely smug smirk hidden under that dark blue mask of his. Haku was taken aback; he hadn't anticipated such a play.

"The practicality of science, pretty spectacular, right?" He boasted, standing completely unharmed and unfazed.

Haku couldn't deny it, something as simple and small as a crude magnet had neutralized his senbon completely. "Amazing," he breathed, such ingenuity was to be commended.

Kakashi hadn't a clue where the boy had gotten a magnet, had he built it himself? And if so, when? Pītā never ceased to surprise the Jōnin; even Zabuza was at a loss for words. Sakura though, smiled weakly, she didn't know whether to be annoyed that his crazy idea had actually worked, or relieved that he'd managed to outthink his opponent with such little time to prepare.

What was worse, if they survived the encounter with the demon and his protégé, she'd never hear the end of it. "Don't get cocky, Pākā!" She yelled, though couldn't resist the grin that was beginning to split on her face.

Pītā shook his head; there was just no pleasing the girl. "Me?! Never, Haruno!" He called back, feeling much better now that he at least had an ace in the hole.

Haku took note of the little back and forth between friends; he silently pondered what it would be like to have such allies. "I suppose I'll have to change tactics, maybe employ some of that creativity you wield so well." The boy once again left Pītā stumped, stepping outside of the mirror and the dome.

Pītā wasn't sure what he was getting at, but he didn't like the sound of it. "What now?" He muttered, his spider-sense kicking him in the side of the skull.

Haku began the speedy, incredibly precise process of cycling through hand signs. "I've never had to use this Jutsu before; I guess I was saving it for a special occasion." The boy informed Pītā, like they were two pals, sharing a regular, run-of-the-mill conversation.

Pītā prepared himself, lowering his chest and spreading his stance. "You really know how to make a guy feel special," he jested, before his heart skipped a beat.

Haku's delicate hands stopped, ceased their activity as he completed his hand signs. "Secret Jutsu: Crystal Ice Prison!" He shouted at the top of his lungs, summoning every inch of the spiritual energy known as Chakra he possessed.

The ice mirrors closed in on one another, completely eliminating the gaps that had previously been on show. Ice grinded against ice, morphing and merging, narrowing the number of mirrors down until only five remained. They enclosed around Pītā, trapping him in an almost flawless cuboid shape. He was met with the sight of himself on all sides, brown eyes staring into brown eyes, slowly realizing that the walls of ice were still closing in on him.

Thinking on his feet, with the only sane option also being the most obvious one, Pītā reeled back and put everything he had into one devastating blow. He held nothing back, it wasn't like he was pounding on an actual person, and drove his gloved fist straight through the unbelievably thick wall of ice. Predictably, it shattered, pieces of ice and crystal splintering and sprinkling off in all manner of directions.

There was an out; he'd managed to find an out in an otherwise impenetrable death trap. That is, until the ice immediately reformed, as fast as the speed of thought, right around Pītā's outstretched arm. If it hadn't been for his superhuman durability, his entire arm would've been crushed. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt, because judging by the violent scream of agony Pītā let out, it hurt a whole lot.

Tiny shards of ice, practically needles in nature, sliced straight through Pītā's dark blue sleeve and into the tough skin of his arm. He grit his teeth, blood soaking the fabric of his clothes as a mind-numbing pain raced straight through his body and arrived at his brain. His knees buckled, it was almost too much to bear. He'd acted without much thought and was now at the mercy of Haku's mastery of ice, he'd never experienced such an ordeal in all his twelve years.

His arm was literally embedded, practically a part of the ice, ice that was so cold, it felt hot to the touch. Pītā couldn't feel his arm, like someone had just separated the entire limb from his body and in all honesty, that might've been a favour for the lad at this point.

Kakashi and Sakura heard the scream, the blood-curdling cry of the brunette, something they'd never been witness to before and hoped that they'd never be witness to it again. It seemed every time the boy gained the advantage, Haku pulled something out of the bag and one upped him with it.

Their heavy hitter was contained, like a rat in a trap. "Took a little longer than expected, but your boy's finally out of commission. You should be proud, Kakashi. He made it much further than every other ninja that fell prey to Haku's Jutsu, not bad for a brat." Zabuza once again felt the need to insult the Jōnin and his student, though was secretly glad that the boy had been dealt with.

He'd never seen Haku need to use the next step to his Crystal Ice Mirrors Jutsu; it spoke volumes about the spider's resilience. Now, Kakashi was the only threat left. Zabuza didn't even consider the young girl a danger, but if push came to shove, she'd die.

"Don't stop on my account, Haku. You have the punk right where you want him, crush him and finish it already." Zabuza ordered, predatory eyes watching his pupil as he stood in front of the ice prison.

Kakashi tensed, felt every muscle in his body harden as he prepared to forsake Zabuza's warning and save his student. Sakura kept close to Tazuna, the pair of them unable to form words as Pītā was literally at the mercy of Haku. The boy in question stared at Pītā's arm, protruding from the prison Jutsu, his skin abnormally pale and shredded.

He didn't bother turning to face his mentor, his guardian. "He can't possibly defend himself, where would the honour be in killing him in such a sorry state?" Haku murmured, as if trying to rationalize it himself.

Like Zabuza's opinion was simply a by-product, something he wasn't really going to pay any attention to. "You're getting soft, kid." The demon acknowledged, not at all pleased with the boy's apparent refusal of his orders.

The missing-nin, the defector of the Mist, drew his broad, impossibly large blade and took a step in Haku's direction. "Stop," his partner, the boy he'd practically raised, raised his palm to the bloodthirsty mercenary.

Zabuza's cold, dead eyes actually showcased something other than a complete intent to kill. "Stop? You better choose your next words very carefully, boy." Subtle surprise, not as telegraphed as the average person would.

Because in all there long years together, ever since Zabuza had lifted the boy out of the gutters of Kirigakure, he'd never once disobeyed a direct order. The monster of a man didn't know what to think, he was equal parts furious and proud, an odd combination of thoughts and feelings swimming around in that demented head of his.

Haku fully turned to face Zabuza, leaving Pītā's limp arm locked in its icy vice. "He's been immobilized; he's no longer a threat to us. There's no need for him to die, Zabuza." The teenager attempted to appease his teacher, not a shred of worry or self-doubt apparent on his features.

The Demon of the Hidden Mist shut his eyes for a moment, as if weighing his options silently. "Don't tell me you've suddenly grown a conscious, Haku? Is this where you draw the line? You roll over and show your belly when kids come into play?" Zabuza pressed, though failed to gauge the reaction he'd been hoping for.

His student remained steadfast in his decision, never faltering for a single second. Zabuza didn't bother following up, he saw as clear as day that Haku wasn't going to budge on the matter. So, to everyone's apparent shock, he relented.

"Fine, you win. But when this comes back to bite you in the ass, don't come crying to me." He warned the black haired ninja, still unable to urge anything out of the boy other than a silent stare.

Until Haku broke eye contact to focus on something else, as if he'd heard something that he couldn't quite place. He gritted his teeth as a shuriken sliced across his cheek, spraying blood all over the drab surface of the concrete bridge. The ice expert nursed his injury and looked behind him to find Pītā still encased in his prison, confusion reigned before a plume of smoke puffed onto the scene, growing in size and volume before it dispersed into the bitter air around them.

A boy clad in orange and blue appeared, the blonde boy that he'd stumbled upon asleep in the forest, sporting an almighty grin. "This just keeps getting better and better," Zabuza growled, his jagged voice barely above a whisper.

Haku on the other hand, simply composed himself. It was another one of the copy-nin's kids, the last one he believed. The one that had ranted on and on about how life wasn't fair, back in the aftermath of the first battle with Zabuza. He was having trouble putting a name to the boy's whisker decorated face, it definitely began with N though, that much he was sure of.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried, sounding very much unlike her usual self.

In all honesty, she was simply glad to see the boy again. He didn't possess Kakashi-Sensei's Sharingan or Pītā's spider-like abilities, but perhaps he could've at least evened the odds a little bit. Kakashi inwardly sighed; the blonde Jinchūriki had given away an incredible tactical advantage just by showing himself.

"Don't worry, Sakura! Your knight in shining armour is here!" The lad boasted, prodding a proud thumb to his overinflated chest.

The pink haired girl refrained from face palming, even at such a corny thing to say. "You have to help Pītā, Naruto! He's trapped inside that block of ice!" Sakura called out, pointing directly at said stationary cuboid of cooling ice.

Naruto immediately ran over to the makeshift prison, gripping the outstretched but limp hand that was poking through. "Pītā! Pītā, are you okay?!" The prankster pressed, his usually jovial tone filled with nothing but avid concern.

The lad felt his friend's hand come to life, grasping for all its worth. "Y—you know… I… I g—gotta be hon… honest… I'm not f—feel—feeling so… hot," Pītā answered, his teeth chattering beneath his mask as the below freezing temperatures inside the cube were beginning to take effect.

"I'll get you out of there, I promise. It's my turn to save you," he explained, hesitantly leaving his comrade's side to face Haku.

Pītā felt the boy's fingers slip away from him and he gave a shaky, unseen nod. "No… no rush," the spider breathed, feeling his strength wain.

Kakashi watched as Naruto squared off with Haku, a boy that had managed to trap a spider. "Tread carefully, Naruto." He offered the piece of vague advice, receiving a simple nod in return.

Tazuna couldn't believe what he was seeing, was the man honestly going to let the kid fight Haku? "You can't be serious, there's no way he can stop him!" The bridge builder warned, doing nothing to break Kakashi's line of sight.

His single grey eye was fixed on his own student and Zabuza's mysterious pupil, and he wasn't willing to discount Naruto just yet. "We'll have to wait and see," the Jōnin muttered, having faith that the lad might pull it off.

Naruto angrily pointed at Haku, something the ninja didn't really take note of. "You can't freeze my friend and expect to get away with it, Kamu or whatever your name is!" He spouted, canines on show as he narrowed his ocean blue eyes.

Haku let the indirect insult slide, he didn't particularly care that the boy had gotten his name wrong. "He was being rather… difficult; it was the only way to ground him in place without directly killing him." He responded, skewing his foe's anger into confusion.

Naruto wasn't sure he'd heard right, but it sounded like the kid hadn't wanted to seriously harm Pītā. "Without killing him? Just who's side are you on here?!" He demanded, balling his fists in frustration.

"It's not as simple as that," Haku answered, though such a non-answer only provided more questions for Naruto.

He huffed, whipping out a kunai blade and preparing to charge with everything he had. "Not as simple as that?! Say words that make sense!" The boy bellowed, a stark contrast to his enemy's stoic nature.

Haku didn't respond, he simply stood silently and wiped away the fresh blood, leaking out of the cut on his pale cheek. "Fine! Be all silent and mysterious, see if I care! You won't stop me, believe it!" Naruto growled, pointing at the ninja in a show of confidence.

His enemy, a decidedly powerful one if he was able to get the drop on his spider-powered teammate, showed no emotion. "I'd be more inclined to believe you if you'd actually make a move," the ice master barbed, prompting Naruto to set his jaw.

The blonde decided that it was time to act, no more showboating. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto declared, forming the required hand sign and summoning a small posse of mirror images of himself.

Haku didn't blink, if he was impressed at all, he didn't show it. Instead, he dodged a kunai thrown by the boy, the sleek steel weapon breezing underneath his arm as he went to work. Shadow clones came at him fast, but not fast enough. He blitzed through each and every one of them, twelve by his count, without getting tagged once.

None were left standing, so he whipped around, slightly surprised to find three more behind him. "You're laughably slower than your friend, how is it you intend to defeat me again?" Haku questioned, almost perplexed, as though the simple idea of beating him was flawed in its very nature.

One of the clones began replying, striking out at the pale skinned lad. "Someone once told me—" it was cut off, reduced to a plume of smoke as Haku drove his fist through its head.

He moved to the next one, ducking beneath a mid-air roundhouse kick. "That strength and speed—" the second clone joined its predecessor in its non-existent state, as Haku stabbed two senbon into its chest.

He had no time to breathe, spinning on a dime to catch a fist aimed directly for his face. "Don't always dictate a fight," the final clone finished, before Haku twisted its arm and sent it flying with a well-placed sandal to the stomach.

His large brown eyes watched as it exploded into a puff of smoke, and he was left completely alone. "True, but they do have some bearing on the outcome. You're very good with those shadow clones for one so young, but still, very slow and very predictable." The ninja, in possession of a kekkei genkai just like Pītā, both complimented and insulted the Leaf Shinobi.

The air was silent for a moment, and Haku was genuinely beginning to wonder if his opponent had bailed from the fight. All of that wonder flew out of the window when a seemingly endless wave of Narutos flowed out from behind the ice prison he'd trapped Pītā in, all charging for him with the clear intention of one thing painted across their visage.

The intention to win…

"Predict this!" They yelled all at once, completely in sync with one another, like some kind of battle cry.

Haku was caught off-guard by the sheer number of clones, he'd never seen so many, not even from Zabuza who possessed distinctly impressive Chakra reserves. Shuriken sliced at him, spinning projectiles of death, prompting him to weave defensively, managing to remain unscathed as blonde ninja after blonde ninja came at him.

Haku fought as well as he could, dodging and attacking when the moment was presented to him. He'd taken five, no, seven… ten? There were simply too many to keep track of and Haku was beginning to wear himself a little thin; he really wasn't used to being on the defensive. He'd clearly been the weaker one when facing off against Pītā, but even with Naruto, a ninja clearly inferior to him, he was having a hard time just keeping his breathing steady.

It was like he was in a dog pile of orange and blue, almost being suffocated as he struggled to wrestle for supremacy. Shadow clones didn't hit hard, they were but a fraction of the strength of the original user, but when there were just so many, it started to wear Haku down. He felt like a drum, just being caught in the jaw, kneed in the gut, kicked in the shins, it almost proved too much for him.

The last one dived at him, his clone brothers having been disposed of after several tedious minutes of Naruto fever. "Enough," Haku mumbled, catching it by the front of his orange jacket, before throwing it clear off the bridge and into the calm waters below.

He evened out; shoulders slumped a little but slowly controlling his oxygen intake as he'd bested the boy's endless supply of maximum clonage. So many of them, the sheer amount of Chakra it would've taken, just to produce half of the clones, it was staggering. Kakashi Hatake, the famed copy-ninja of Konoha, didn't just have a spider on his team. He also had a student that wielded Chakra like it was nothing, as though it were a toy, not a tool.

Haku gazed skyward, finding what he believed to be the original Naruto, perched on one of the many steel beams of the towering crane, the vehicle used to construct the bridge. "Not so high and mighty now, huh?" He grinned, having had to do absolutely nothing in his fight against the lad.

"An excellent move… for a coward," Haku chided, it was the only way to rile the boy up and draw him in close.

Naruto frowned, if there was anything he despised in the world, it was being called a coward. "You're gonna wish you hadn't said that!" He yelled, leaping from the crane's vantage point to meet Haku on the bridge.

His play had worked, as Zabuza's right hand boy gripped Naruto's wrist and flung him over his shoulder. Naruto, what Haku seriously hoped to be the real Naruto, righted himself whilst airborne and let fly a handful of jagged shuriken. Haku rushed to clash with them; even he felt that he wasn't as fast as he had been. The dark haired Shinobi would've simply evaded every last one of the ninja weapon, but had to employ a senbon needle and strike a few off of their projected paths.

No sooner than Naruto had landed, he found himself ducking as Haku swung right for him. He responded in kind, his balled up fist glancing Haku's soft jaw. The kid rolled with the attack, spinning and dropping low in order to sweep the Leaf Genin's legs. The Jinchūriki gained some distance, avoiding the attack with a simple flip backwards.

Haku reacted quick enough to let off a senbon needle, and Naruto grunted in pain as it flew into his arm. The pre-teen looked over the wound, a little afraid to just try and pull the medical tool out, he didn't want to bleed to death after all. His ocean blue gaze met with Haku's brown orbs, a little darker in colour than Pītā's eyes.

Haku composed himself, the boy was much more competent than he'd previously thought. "You're not a bad fighter, by any means." He commended, drawing a furrowed brow out of his foe.

"That supposed to mean something coming from you?" Naruto queried, his usually bombastic voice laced with scepticism.

Haku, an orphan from the Land of Water, managed a shrug. "No, I'm simply stating something which is true." He answered, making conversation with the boy in order to regain his strength.

It seemed the exact same thought had entered Naruto's mind, he wasn't ready for another shot yet. "Man, you're weird." He pointed out, drawing the slightest flicker of a smile out of Haku.

It was fond in nature, before it faded and disappeared entirely. "Yes, your friend brought that to my attention. Speaking of your friend, the one who likes to talk, although he's trapped in the ice I created, he won't be for long." Haku cryptically spoke, prompting Naruto's heart to pick up the pace a little.

The twelve year old snapped to attention, his previously tired stance straightening up as every muscle in his body hardened. "What're you talking about?" He pressed, eyes frantic as they glanced from the enemy in front of him, to the elemental prison in the background.

Haku however, remained moderately collected. "You're friend, the spider… he's going to die." He stated, in such a matter of fact way that it made Naruto's blood boil.

His eyes narrowed, dangerous intentions present in them as clear as day. "You won't get near him," he challenged, his entire body trembling with anticipation.

Anticipation for the fight that was sure to follow, a fight that may have spelled the end for either one of them. "I won't have to… Naruto, was it? The average temperature of the human body is roughly ninety eight degrees; mild hypothermia sets in at about ninety five degrees. At ninety one degrees, the mind can experience amnesia. At eighty two degrees, the body succumbs to the cold and loses consciousness. If the temperature drops below seventy, death is almost certain as profound hypothermia begins to set in." Haku explained, listing off every single reason why he wouldn't have to lift a finger to kill the spider.

Naruto's bright blue eyes widened, each and every line of morbid information stunning him. "That won't happen, not to Pītā… he's too strong for that." He shot back, but didn't entirely sound convinced himself.

Haku recognized the slight doubt; the boy was trying to make himself believe his own fib. "Your faith in your teammate is admirable, but entirely misplaced. It doesn't matter how strong he is or how fast he is, he's just as susceptible to the cold as anyone else." He made the boy see, made him realize the gravity of the situation.

Naruto shook his head, he refused to believe it. "You're bluffing," he accused, finger pointed at the kid and everything.

Haku's dark brown eyes found the floor before glancing back up at Naruto, something other than cold indifference present in them. "I sincerely wish I was, Naruto." He expressed, the same thing in his eyes lacing his voice.

Nothing but regret, real and almost tangible in its form. Naruto didn't know what to say, what to think or what to do. He looked past Haku to see Pītā's arm wilt, losing its life as its skin continued to grow colder and paler. The boy swallowed, his friend didn't have long left, even with his amazing powers.

"What do I have to do?" Naruto breathed, he didn't want his teammate to die, not when they were so young and not when they'd make it to seventy years of age.

Haku felt in control of the situation, as horrible and heartless as the situation was. "Surrender the bridge builder, hand him over to us and I'll release your friend. That's it, that's all you have to do, I promise." He appealed, and he was genuinely telling the truth.

He hoped Naruto made the decision quick enough, he didn't want Pītā to die but he didn't want to fail his master. Zabuza was everything to him, his entire drab world, had been ever since the day they'd crossed paths. When Zabuza had taken pity on something, for once in his entire emotionless life. What they had, it was real. A real connection, the only other one the boy had ever experienced, outside of his mother.

The woman who gave him his ability, his kekkei genkai. She was long gone, had been brutally murdered by the lad's own flesh and blood, his father. According to him and many 'normal' people in the Land of Water, individuals born with inherited abilities were abominations. A crime against nature itself, disgusting and unnatural.

Zabuza didn't see that, chose to look past it and accepted the boy for what he was. Just a boy, small and frightened, living on the streets like some damn animal. Haku felt something sting his eyes, and realized that he was crying. He steeled himself, it wasn't wise to show any form of weakness to the enemy.

He reaffirmed his cold and calculative appearance, staring Naruto down and presenting him with an impossible choice. "So… I just have to give up, let you kill a man and everything he stands for… in order to save my friend. And if I don't give up, keep fighting you in the hopes that one of us falls… Pītā dies. What kind of choice is that?" Naruto quietly questioned, the option was testing everything he stood for and everything he believed in.

"An unfair one," Haku answered, watching Naruto shake and tremble.

The boy couldn't decide, it was an impossible decision to make. Not just for one so young either, for anyone that would ever have to make such a devastatingly harsh decision. The life of a stranger who wanted to do good, for the life of a friend who wanted to help people. Naruto felt like he couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't even exist.

No matter what he did, what he decided, one of them was going to die. It was a lose-lose situation, a stark aspect of the world that Kakashi-Sensei had tried to explain to them. Tried to make them see, make them believe. It was a battle he couldn't win, there was no outcome that'd set things right, make everything okay.

Naruto was so wrapped up in the decision, as his friend was freezing to death; probably lay dying right at that exact moment, that he didn't even notice the red Chakra that had begun to leak out of him.

Zabuza seemed to be enjoying the show from afar, probably waiting to see whether his protégé would best another one of Kakashi's students. Either way, he was distracted. And Kakashi saw that as an opportune moment, a moment to finally strike.

As if he'd read his mind, Zabuza had whipped around and raised his legendary sword. "Trying to attack me when my back is turned? That's something an assassin would do, Kakashi." Zabuza jabbed, perhaps implying that he'd done his research on the Jōnin's past.

Kakashi chose to ignore the remark for the time being, his kunai knife clashing with the metal of the demon's sword. "Time to end this," the famous Shinobi stated, he was tired of standing around and waiting for Zabuza to act first.

The missing-nin forced Kakashi back with his blade, opening him up for a broad swipe with his sword. Kakashi ducked, once again losing several strands of silver hair in the process, before he drove his kunai deep into Zabuza's thigh. The man pushed through it, didn't yell out in pain or even acknowledge the injury as the wound bled freely. He took a strike to the jaw, an open palm to the nose, and an elbow to the sternum before he backed off.

The demon gained some distance, throwing several kunai knives at one of the most notorious ninja in his bingo book. "Ohh… someone's not messing around," Zabuza taunted, watching Kakashi sidestep and dance around each projectile.

A shadow loomed over the sensei as he gazed skyward, finding Zabuza airborne and bringing his colossal blade down in one hefty slash. Kakashi barely managed to evade the attack, witnessing the blade drive itself deep into the bridge's solid surface. Zabuza caught the off-balance Leaf ninja with a backhanded fist, causing him to spin out.

Zabuza didn't bother retrieving his sword as he pursued Kakashi, taking the fight into close quarters yet again. "I'm surprised you haven't whipped out that Sharingan of yours yet, didn't think you could fight without it." The former ANBU member of Kirigakure barbed, drilling his knee directly into his opponent's stomach.

Kakashi felt short of breath, having had the wind knocked right out of him, but hit the ground hands first to deliver a well-placed sandal to Zabuza's temple. The killer saw stars for a moment, holding his thumping head, before a kunai blade was brought across his throat.

Kakashi didn't hold his breath; it had been far too easy. "I'm starting to understand what Pītā's getting at," he remarked, watching as Zabuza fell to the bridge in a puddle of water.

He turned, having dispatched what was revealed to be a water clone and narrowed his eyes at Zabuza. The demon had retrieved his sword, but was still nursing the headache Kakashi had given him. Sakura was still at her post, having watched the trading of blows with Tazuna.

Zabuza had to admit, he admired the ruthlessness Kakashi was capable of. "So… you really mean it this time, I guess I'll have to mean it too." The man muttered, about to employ his Hidden Mist Jutsu.

Before he could do just that and before Kakashi could activate his Sharingan, a tremor distracted them from their confrontation. Both ninja, deadly and inches away from one another, seemed to forsake the fight for a moment and set their sights on the source of the phenomenon. It was Naruto, standing in the midst of a swirling vortex of blood red Chakra, shaking the very foundations of the bridge they were on.

Zabuza felt his jaw drop; he'd never been witness to such a massively powerful display of spiritual energy before. "His Chakra… I can see his damn Chakra! It's tearing everything apart!" He roared, balancing himself as the very surface beneath them shook.

Kakashi's single grey eye widened, terrified as if the gates of Hell itself had opened up before him. "No... the seal…" He muttered, too quiet for Zabuza to catch.

He felt a firm hand on his shoulder demand his attention, and found Zabuza directly in his masked face. "What the hell is going on, Kakashi?!" The copy-ninja found the way he was talking to him bizarre, as if they were old friends and not enemies that had just been locked in mortal combat.

Kakashi brushed the demon's hand off of him and gave a stern stare back, his tone completely serious. "Something far bigger and far more dangerous than both you and I, demon." Kakashi mysteriously said, not feeling the need to explain anything to the killer.

But he knew full well what was going on, what was happening to his student. The kitsune demon, the Nine-Tails itself, was trying to break free of its prison inside of Naruto. It put everything and everyone in danger, not just those present, but the world itself. The ghastly creature was one of pure hate, filled with nothing but wrath and rage.

Naruto's blue eyes were tainted with a deep red, his circular pupils morphing and changing in order to resemble slits, something much more beast-like in nature. Haku felt himself tremble in fear; he'd never seen such a display of raw power and Earth shaking ill-intent. The nails on each and every one of Naruto's fingers grew, sharpening to a fine point as he let out an almighty roar.

The sound was so loud, so deafening, that it rendered everything completely still and silent for a moment. It cleared the air, the mist around the bridge dissipating and revealing all those present. The force was so great, so powerful, that the ice cell that had been holding Pītā lost its form and shattered.

Pītā splayed through the air, Haku following soon after. The spider's ears rang, he couldn't hear anything, couldn't feel anything, and couldn't think anything. His friend had lost it, let out something he couldn't even comprehend. His spider-sense assaulted his brain, rendering him completely incapable of doing anything.

As such, he and Haku hit the other side of the bridge, their bodies colliding with solid concrete. They rolled, not in control, but at the mercy of the force that had thrown them. Pītā was the first to stop his momentum, just barely managing to lash out a hand and adhere to the ground. Haku stopped soon after, as Pītā gripped the front of his kimono and anchored him down.

They both laid there for a few solid minutes as the roar finally died down, the ringing in Pītā's head still continuing but everything calming for a moment. The spider was so out of it, that he didn't feel his brown eyes flash red and blue, the strange sight lasting for a fraction of a second before his eyes returned to their usual softer colour.

Tazuna and Sakura were on the ground too, they'd braced themselves and gotten low, managing to hold over until Naruto's show of raw power had ceased. Zabuza felt the grip on his sword's hilt slacken; his memory imprinted with what he was sure was the most devastatingly powerful thing he'd ever witnessed.

And the boy had simply roared…

Kakashi had guarded his face, lowering his arm to see that Naruto was simmering down. "This is merely a glimmer of its power; a shred of what lies within." The Jōnin once again muttered to himself, as if trying to convince himself that it wasn't happening.

He took the opportunity to attempt to talk some sense into his opponent; there was no need for anymore fighting. "Zabuza, you're cutthroat in nature, I'm not even sure you have a heart beating in that chest of yours. But I know that you're no idiot, so believe me when I say that this is not a fight you can win. I'm not sure what your intentions are, I don't know why you want to kill Tazuna so badly, but I'm sensing something else." He deduced, his tone surprisingly level and calm considering what they'd just experienced.

Zabuza managed to tear his eyes away from the boy, a conduit for pure, unfiltered energy. "A higher purpose perhaps? It doesn't matter, none of it. There are some things in this world that are far more valuable than a simple job; I implore you to see that life is one of them. If you value yours and that of your charge, I suggest you sheathe your blade." Kakashi laid it all out for the demon, the blood thirsty ninja that had plagued them ever since they'd set foot in the Land of Waves.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment as Zabuza raised his weapon, his mind processing each and every possible outcome, should he have pursued the fight. Kakashi was ready for him to retaliate, he saw it as clear as day. His mist was gone, his partner was down and the spider had been freed from his prison. Silently admitting defeat, Zabuza sheathed his legendary weapon.

"I didn't sign on for… whatever the hell just happened, you win, Kakashi." Zabuza hated to give in, but even he didn't have a death wish.

Kakashi relaxed, but kept his guard up just in case. "I'm glad you're able to see sense, Zabuza." He spoke, before directing his gaze over to Naruto.

The boy's chest was heaving, whatever he'd experienced had apparently passed for the time being. It was scary, he'd never felt so much power, the potential to achieve anything he wanted to. Kakashi was relieved; there wasn't a word for how relieved, that his student had calmed himself.

"You're right, Kakashi. The pathetic amount of money we were supposed to receive for this job is not worth it, I might be okay with throwing my life away but… I don't think I can do that to Haku." Zabuza recognized, finally admitting to himself that the boy wasn't just a tool to him.

The way he looked at him, felt about him, it was as if the boy was his own flesh and blood. He'd kept him at arm's length ever since he'd picked him up, gave him food, shelter, the very clothes on his back. He'd shaped him into a dangerous Shinobi, true. But he'd also been a father to him, and Haku a son to him.

He didn't want to throw that away, the first connection he'd felt his entire, miserable existence. And for what? Money? Zabuza shook his head in disgust at the thought, it just wasn't worth it. He wondered if Kakashi felt the same way about his students, how they looked up to him, thought of him as invincible. Like a child did to their father, their precious person.

"Sakura, you can go now." Kakashi addressed the girl, having noticed her stay by Tazuna's side until he said otherwise.

She nodded, sprinting with speed that surprised the veteran as she darted straight by Naruto and for a prone Pītā. The Kunoichi was immediately at the spider's side, propping him up on her knees as she looked him over. Her green eyes came back to the wound on his arm again and again, his skin had been ripped right off, she could see the very inner workings of his arm and he was pale, just so very pale.

He was conscious but couldn't bring himself to speak, Sakura couldn't believe he'd taken such punishment and managed to stave off blacking out. His condition was worse than she'd thought as she gently removed his forehead protector and pressed a hand to his forehead. He was freezing, ice cold to the touch. If they didn't get him somewhere warm soon then he'd most certainly die, spider or no spider.

"Kakashi-Sensei! Please, we have to get him somewhere warm!" Sakura cried out, tears threatening to spill out as Pītā felt like death itself in her arms.

The Jōnin gave one last look at Zabuza, narrowing his eyes for added effect. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll join you." The man appeased, sprinting in stride with Kakashi to reach his own charge.

Both men crouched beside the children in their care, Kakashi taking Pītā off of Sakura's hands and bundling him up in his arms as Zabuza checked for a pulse on Haku. Tazuna joined Naruto, the boy that had almost levelled the entire place and chanced a gentle hand on his shoulder. He didn't need to say anything, just a simple but powerful smile of gratitude, when words simply weren't enough.

Naruto looked up at the man and in all honesty, felt relieved. The choice, the weight of an impossible decision had been too much for the lad to bear. It just cracked him open, right to the core. He'd tried to deny it after Mizuki had outright told him months ago, when the traitor had tried to kill Iruka-Sensei. But there was no hiding it, no shying away from it anymore.

The Nine-Tails slumbered inside of him…

"Well, isn't that touching?" A new voice rang out, menacing and venomous in its nature.

All those present snapped their attention to the end of the unfinished bridge, finding a rather short man stood, his tiny hands resting on a sleek cane, surrounded on all sides by a small army of men. They were nothing special; they weren't ninja, a few of them carried katana but Kakashi didn't suspect them to be actual samurai, not from the Land of Iron anyway.

Zabuza narrowed his cold eyes, he'd been expecting it sooner rather than later. "Gatō," he spat, his vicious voice laced with hate.

The former Mist Shinobi was no idiot, as had been established. He knew full well that upon completion of his task, Gatō would attempt to have him killed in order to withhold payment. In fact, Zabuza had been planning, had discussed with Haku, to backstab the shady businessman since the beginning.

Gatō grinned smugly, for reasons unknown to the ninja. "Touching, yes. A little odd though, Zabuza. Correct me if I'm wrong, didn't I hire you to dispose of the bridge builder? And deal with any obstacles that might have gotten in your way?" The small man queried, he hadn't been aware that the mercenary he'd hired had sided with the Leaf ninja protecting Tazuna.

Zabuza simply glanced at Kakashi and then at the blonde boy behind him, some distance away. "Change of plans, I've dissolved our agreement." He answered, staring down the ruthless tycoon once again.

Gatō set his jaw; he hadn't planned for such an unlikely development. "Hm… I'm almost grateful; you're far too expensive for a hired thug. The amount of money you were asking for was ridiculous, even for the so-called Demon of the Hidden Mist." He insulted, word after word only serving to spur Zabuza on.

He smirked; the faint movement beneath the bandages covering his jaw enough to let Kakashi know one thing… it was going to be a bloodbath. "Can you take them?" The silver haired sensei asked his temporary, emphasis on temporary, ally.

"Do I even need to answer? Though… I wouldn't mind a hand; see you in action when you're not tangling with me. What do you say, Kakashi?" The former ANBU assassin propositioned, receiving his answer as his former foe turned and offered Pītā up to Tazuna.

The old man approached the Leaf Shinobi, carefully taking the red and blue misfit out of his arms. "Careful, he's badly hurt." Kakashi muttered, earning a stern expression in return.

Tazuna held the boy in his arms, holding not just a life but the trust of a man too. "I'll guard him with my life," the bridge builder claimed, receiving a satisfied nod out of the Jōnin.

"Sakura, go with Tazuna and Naruto… this won't take long." Kakashi ordered his only female student, the only female present on the entire bridge.

She gave a sharp nod; she didn't have to think on it too hard to know what Kakashi and Zabuza were going to do next. The red garbed girl walked in tandem with Tazuna, watching over the unconscious boy in the man's arms, the boy that made it his mission in life to drive her up the wall.

Kakashi and Zabuza set off, they didn't sprint or bolt for Gatō and his men. No, they walked. Walked so slowly, but showcased such certainty that it terrified Gatō. The small man turned on his heel, pushing past each and every one of the thugs he'd hired to kill Zabuza, in a mad effort to preserve his life.

"What're you waiting for?! Kill him! Kill both of them!" He ordered, yelling at the top of his lungs so all could hear.

Kakashi kept his eye on the prize, breaking into a sprint. "When this is over, you leave. You never set foot in the Wave again," the Jōnin spoke, his words meant for the demon running beside him.

Zabuza pulled out his larger than life sword, brandishing it high for every man ahead to see. "Keep your mask on, Kakashi. This was a job, not a vendetta. Haku and I have some unfinished business in the Land of Water anyway," he conceded, charging with everything he had.

Kakashi whipped out two kunai blades, brandishing each one in each hand. "Do not think this makes us allies, demon, not for a second." The man told his former opponent, ready to cut down the crowd of men in front of him.

Zabuza smirked, terrifying and predatory in its nature, before driving right into the army of lamb for him to slaughter. "Wouldn't have it any other way," he concurred, spilling first blood alongside one of the toughest ninja he'd ever met.

* * *

It hadn't taken long for two of the most notoriously skilled and deadly ninja in the world to completely wipe out Gatō's gathering of lowlife thugs and hired killers, less than a minute in fact. They'd both stood at the end of the bridge, which was still under construction at the time, soaked and covered in tainted blood. Everyone had witnessed it, not just the foreign ninja and Tazuna, but every single honest man and woman that dwelled within the Wave.

They'd watched as Gatō begged, pleaded, and bargained for his measly life. Attempted every trick in the dirty, underhanded book, in order to refuse and escape his fate. The silver haired one, Kakashi, stuffed his hands into his pockets and looked on as the hulking figure, the demon, took Gatō's head. He didn't raise it high and declare that the people of the Wave were free; he let the man's headless body slump backwards and drop into the still waters below.

His head followed soon after, the waterways he'd ruled over eventually becoming his final resting place. It wasn't heroic, but it was the closet possible thing to a happy ending. It was brutal, savage and graphic. But the people of the Wave wouldn't have had it any other way, for the man had made it his mission in his sorry excuse of a life, to terrorize and torture them.

His control had been lifted and since then, construction on the bridge resumed. With no delays or interruptions, the lifeline connecting the mass of islands to the mainland had been completed in a timely fashion. It had taken around a month to finish, in which time, Team 7 rested after a battle well fought.

Zabuza and Haku didn't linger to see the bridge's construction come to an end, the fruits of their labour come to fruition. True to his word, the demon had departed with his practically adopted son. They left without so much as a word, saying nothing to Kakashi or the man they'd sought to kill. Tazuna decided that it was best; he didn't need an apology from the demon to get on with his life.

Kakashi wondered though, just what Zabuza meant by his unfinished business in the Land of Water. He supposed it was a mystery for another day; his main concern was his kids and their wellbeing. Naruto, it seemed, had finally come to terms with the fact that there was something powerful inside him, something dark and ancient.

He hadn't accepted it quite yet, but admitting it to himself was the first step. Kakashi was concerned though; he'd definitely need to address the issue with Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage. The seal loosening on Naruto, the seal that was keeping the Nine-Tails locked within its flesh and blood prison, was a serious matter. The Jōnin wasn't sure Sakura or Pītā were aware of their teammate's situation, they'd find out soon enough and hopefully, were understanding enough to embrace Naruto for who he was and not what secret lay inside him.

Especially considering Pītā had lost his parents and uncle to the Nine-Tails' devastating attack on Konoha…

Speaking of the spider, the boy had made a speedy recovery. Kakashi was well aware that spiders had some form of accelerated healing, but Pītā's injuries, even the severe ones, had cleared up after a single day of resting. The teacher had watched over him, as had Tsunami, providing him with hot soup and warm clothing as he battled a nasty case of the flu post-bridge battle.

But Kakashi was surprised by Sakura's insistence on looking after him; he simply put it down to a teammate looking out for another teammate. But he suspected that she was sharing the same thoughts as him, Pītā was a tough little Shinobi and seeing him so hurt, so utterly vulnerable, was a rare sight indeed.

Regardless, he'd burned through the cold, his arm had stitched itself back together and he was back to his smack-talking self in no time at all. The people of the Wave were upset to see the mainland ninja leave, but they'd spent far too long away from their own home, so Kakashi had to take them back.

The four of them, blonde, pink, brunette and silver haired Leaf ninja were being seen off by the people they had liberated. Team 7 stood beneath the bridge's Wave gate, all packed up and waiting to depart as their goodbyes were said.

"Thank you, all of you, for everything you've done for us." Tazuna, the entire reason everything had happened, expressed his gratitude.

Kakashi simply raised a hand and closed his eyes, appearing fond and friendly. "Hey, what're heroes for, right?" Naruto butted in, prompting Kakashi to roll his eyes and swallow his words.

Sakura folded her arms over her red adorned chest, arching an eyebrow at the shorter lad. "Aren't heroes supposed to be humble?" She queried, challenging the boy as he simply grinned sheepishly.

Pītā stuffed his hands into his pants pockets; he was looking forward to the peaceful journey home. "I think he's earned the right to brag, he did save our butts back there." He cut in, his tone devoid of snark and sarcasm for once.

Sakura bowed her head in defeat, ignoring the blonde as he beamed triumphantly. "You had to encourage him," she lamented.

Kakashi watched as his students began to bicker amongst themselves, his relaxed eye finding Tazuna once again. "It's been a pleasure staying here, Tazuna. May this new bridge bring you and your nation good fortune," he bowed, hands jammed into his pockets like that of his spider-powered student.

Tazuna responded in kind, with Tsunami by his side. "Please, come visit us any time. Our door will always be open to you and your kids, Kakashi." She smiled, blush apparent on her sun kissed cheeks.

"I just might take you up on that offer, Tsunami." The Jōnin replied, having the same effect he had on most women as her blush intensified.

Young Inari, a boy that had previously been hell-bent on seeing Team 7 fail, had changed his tune quite dramatically. As it turned out, Naruto's late arrival to the bridge battle had been due to him protecting Inari and his mother from two of Gatō's samurai enforcers. It had been extremely fortunate that Kakashi had Naruto stay behind and rest, otherwise… well, things might not have ended so well.

Nevertheless, the boy appeared to look up to Naruto as some kind of hero, a role model to aspire to. And it made Kakashi smile, that his student's upbeat and positive manner had given a child hope to hold onto. All in all, not bad for their first mission out.

Inari was on the brink of tears, looking up at Naruto with those puppy dog eyes synonymous with children. "You'd better come back too, Naruto!" He declared, his little nose growing damp as he struggled to hold it in.

Naruto appeared to be breaking up as well, his voice wobbling with every word that was spoken. "Try and stop me, kid. I'll be back before you know it, believe it." The Genin claimed, his vision starting to blur as the tears came thick and fast.

He had to spin around, using the oldest trick in the book as he claimed that he'd gotten something in his eye. "Oh brother," Sakura mumbled, face palming at her comrade's actions.

Pītā's eyebrows shot up, he hadn't been expecting things to get so emotional. "Don't want to overstay our welcome, might end up sharing our feelings and stuff." He jested, receiving a sharp elbow from his female friend.

But Kakashi agreed, it was time to leave. "Students?" He asked, demanding their attention.

Naruto answered first, still fighting off the waterworks. "Yeah?" He queried, causing Kakashi to blink at him momentarily.

"Sensei?" Sakura was next to answer the call, rubbing her elbow as she glared daggers at the boy dressed in red and blue.

He shrugged, turning to his teacher. "Scout master?" He mocked, leaning out of the way as Sakura attempted to slap his shoulder.

She was wide open for it and he couldn't resist the sudden urge, so Pītā flicked her nose as a sharp grin split his face. "Got your nose," he barbed, darting off ahead of his team.

Sakura rubbed her nose excessively as her blood boiled; she balled her fists and gave chase immediately, a rosy heat growing on her pale cheeks. "You are so dead, Pītā Pākā! Nobody flicks my nose and gets away with it, nobody!" She cried, a war cry if there ever was one.

Naruto lagged behind, reaching out for them as he set off running. "Can I flick your nose too?" He called out, urging a howl of laughter from the brunette in front.

Sakura felt her teeth grind together as she kept pace with Pītā, but always seemed just a little bit too far behind to grab him. "See what you've started now?!" She scolded, all three ninja fading into the distance as they bolted across the large, ocean spanning bridge.

Kakashi's single grey eye watched them shrink, before he turned around to gaze at all those present behind him. "Again, thank you for your hospitality. Now, if you'll excuse me." He quietly droned, before setting off at a snail's pace compared to that of his kids.

One of the villagers scratched his head as he watched the Leaf ninja leave, speaking up before silence completely set in. "Since we've finished the bridge and everything, don't you think we should give it some kind of name?" He suggested, earning nods of agreement all around.

Tazuna smiled, his tired eyes still fixed on the shrinking figures in the distance. "I already have one in mind," he alluded, employing a fond, elevated tone.

All eyes were on him, the master builder that had stood up to adversity in order to achieve his dream. "We'll call it… the Great Naruto Bridge, in honour of one little Shinobi who reminded us of our strength and courage." Tazuna declared, naming the bridge after the strangest kid he'd ever met, right then and there.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** There we have it, Zabuza and Haku survived their encounter with Team 7 and journey back to the Land of Water. Why? You'll find out why in a few chapter's time, I promise. I just didn't like the way their characters were wasted in canon, they had so much potential and could've done so much good given time. **Deadpoolsson** and I discussed some things and found a proper use for the characters, so they'll return in the future, have no doubt.

Naruto also let himself lose it a bit and the a tiny sliver of the Nine-Tails wrecked shop, devastating everything. I'm excited to explore the implications that will have on Naruto and his teammates as time goes on, I hope you guys are too. Anyway, I really hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, and I hope you're looking forward to the next one. The Chūnin Exams await!

 **Guest Reviews:**

 **atom king:** I too really liked the little scene with Pītā tinkering, I think it's important to retain that part of Spider-Man's character. Yes, he has powers but he had brains before he ever got powers. I'd like to see him mix it up, a little tech here, a little Chakra there and some spider-powers for good measure, you know? That's a good question, I have some plans for a few Spidey rogues here and there, you'll see the first appearance of a rogue at some point during the Chūnin Exams. In fact, he was actually mentioned this chapter. Can you find the Easter egg?

 **Spider-man Fan:** Like you said, I think it might be illogical for Orochimaru to not try it on with Pītā. I don't want to spoil anything, but they may cross paths at some point during the exams. Thanks for reviewing!

 **Guest:** Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. Dude, I'm writing the story and I'm stoked to be able to tell the exams in an alternate light :)

 **Guest1 from ch 4:** Strange name :P Well, science is a huge part of Spider-Man's character, the original was born from science. I think any incarnation of Spider-Man before they receive spider-powers use their brain more than their brawn, that's no different here. If Pītā can find a solution using his head or his mouth, you can bet he'll at least try to stave off the use of his fists. It won't always work, but hey, that's who Spider-Man is. I think him working with Kurenai to maybe craft some kind of spider-poison is a cool idea, I don't know, I'm still toying around with some things. Thanks for the review!

 **coldblue:** A tracking device is a brilliant idea, will we see Pītā invent the famous spider-tracer? Who knows. But I'd like to aim to have Pītā use his brain as often as he can, winning a fight isn't always about the best powers or Jutsu after all. On the Fuinjutsu front, your guess is as good as mine. He's still young at this point in time, still discovering his skills like all other young ninja, so it's hard to say at this exact moment.

I love your idea about having Pītā train with not just one but several sensei, it'd make for a great chapter at some point in the future. But remember, this is an AU with Spider-Man characters molded to fit into the world. Could there be a fourth Sannin? I won't give too much away, but hey, you never know. I think Yang-Release might be suited for Pītā, he's a very physical character, so it's possible. I think there might be quite a few characters that are interested in the last spider, comes with the territory and heritage. But Pītā's not one to follow an ideology he doesn't believe in. He has one belief that he lives by and one only, with great power there must also come great responsibility.

I think I've gone over this once or twice with a few other readers so don't worry about it, but there will only be one symbiote in this story. The Narutoverse equivalent to the Venom symbiote, no Carnage, no Toxin or Mania or Anti-Venom, it just gets confusing. And even then, the symbiote won't be appearing for a while, not until Pītā's a little older and stronger. Thanks for another detailed review, it's always a joy to read them, wholeheartedly :)


	7. Leaf-Sand

**Author's Note:** So, this chapter's kind of a wordy chapter, a kind of prologue to the Chūnin Exams. It's an important chapter though, quite a few characters introduced, some in larger capacities than others.

As you read the chapter, you'll notice that there are some slight alterations to Naruto canon, nothing too large, just tweaked for the sake of the story. Once again, I had a ton of help from my pal, **Deadpoolsson** , he's the best, seriously. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!

 **Disclaimer:** Spider-Man and all related characters are owned by Marvel and in turn, Disney. Naruto and all related characters are owned by Masashi Kishimoto, I own nothing.

* * *

 **Leaf/Sand** **(Chūnin Exams Arc)**

The heat of the sun bore down on the mass landscape of desert, heating up the mountains of golden sand around Sunagakure, the Village Hidden in the Sand. The village itself was safely nestled in the crook of a miles spanning, both in length and width, canyon. It gave the large ninja settlement a natural defence, protected by faded brown rock and masked by sweeping sand dunes on all sides.

The village was a great ally to Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Though, there had been many transgressions between the two in the past. Just like the Leaf had been the home to the Shukeikō-Clan, an expansive family of ninja with the abilities of spiders. The Sand had housed the Goto-Clan, a small splinter family of ninja that credited their abilities to the desert's scorpions.

It was said that decades prior, the Goto family had defected from the Shukeikō-Clan when a Pākā took over as head. They apparently held some sort of deep seated hatred towards the Pākās and did not believe in the clan's nindō, that with great power came great responsibility.

Controversially, they'd wanted to use their kekkei genkai for their own personal gain, spitting on everything the spiders stood for. Before both clans had died out, it became custom for young scorpions to attempt to best a spider in combat and take their head, signifying their superior way of life and cementing their status as the spiders' number one predator. It was a piece of history that the Sand preferred to forget, neutralizing the risk of warring with their ally.

It would've explained the very similar power sets and arachnid-like heritage, though most records had been lost or destroyed, burying the truth forever. Regardless, the Sand Village had experienced its fair share of tragedy, much like the Leaf had.

Just as the Nine-Tailed Fox had launched a frenzied assault on Konoha in the past; Suna had also been at the mercy of a Tailed Beast, specifically the One-Tailed Beast. It resembled a giant tanuki-like creature, and held some sort of mastery over the sand. Unfortunately for the inhabitants of the Sand Village, the Land of Wind was full of the naturally occurring granular material.

Though, the village's Fourth Kazekage, which literally meant Wind Shadow, had managed to quell the demon many times in the past. Eventually, he'd decided to put an end to its rampages permanently, by sealing the creature inside of his infant son.

Rasa, the Kage, had made the decision in order to save his people. And he continued to do so, carefully considering each and every option in order to allow his village to flourish and prosper. Unfortunately, not every decision had been a good one. For while the man really did have his people's best interests at heart, he was still only human and wasn't infallible.

His village's economy was on the decline, and was dangerously nearing extinction. His ninja weren't carrying out viable missions, bringing in no income for Suna and in the process, no goods. Stocks of food, water, anything and everything that a person needed to survive began to plummet and dry out. His village was dying under his rule, and it almost destroyed him.

As previously said, Rasa was only human and sometimes human beings made some pretty terrible decisions. The man was so desperate to save his people, that he was ready to forsake another village for the chance. And as such, he'd organized a quiet, off the record meeting with one Orochimaru. The man was one of the four legendary ninja, one of the Shinin. But he'd resorted to a life of crime and violence, twisted experiments and chaos for the sake of chaos.

It turned Rasa's stomach, to have stooped so low. But he was convinced that it was necessary, the Leaf Village, his ally, had to be razed to the ground. It was prospering, growing and expanding and bringing in business and trade from all corners of the ninja world. Its Shinobi were growing stronger by the day, rolling out brand new generations of aspiring ninja while Rasa's simply stumbled and fell.

He swallowed, having made the journey deep into the deserts outside of Sunagakure in order to meet with Orochimaru. The auburn haired Kage was dressed in the traditional uniform for his class of ninja, a white and blue kimono with a wide, triangular hat, holding the kanji for wind on it.

Rasa was no fool; he hadn't journeyed there alone and glanced at his guard detail, four Jōnin, two men on either side of him. They kept their eyes peeled, nodded at him every once in a while to set him at ease. They were men of code, of honour and they would've given their life for him.

A long haired figure stepped out from behind the large, looming shadow of a canyon wall. "So glad you could join me, Rasa… I was beginning to think you'd had a sudden change of heart. And you brought guards too, how flattering." Orochimaru, with his deathly pale white skin and long ebony black hair, greeted.

Rasa set his jaw; just the sight of the man put him on edge. "Don't think this alliance makes us equals, Orochimaru. I am the Kage of the Sand and you will address me as such," he advised, flanked by some of his best ninja.

A devilish smile formed on the Shinin's almost reptilian face, and a light chuckle escaped his lips. "But of course, where are my manners? Lord Kazekage it is then… better?" He dryly queried, clearly having a bit of fun at the man's expense.

Rasa wasn't laughing, a thin line chiselled into his mouth. "Better," he simply answered, earning a content nod from the S-Rank criminal.

He was bold, Rasa gave him that. So bold in fact, that the ninja chanced a few steps towards him, though he was quickly shut down by Rasa's guard detail. They stared at Orochimaru, stern faced and prepared, but had to remind themselves that he was no random thug or hood. He was a notoriously powerful ninja, fully capable of taking them apart.

"Now that all the formalities are out of the way, we can get down to what really matters. I reached out to you, Lord Kazekage, to propose an alliance. Your village strengthening my village, Sunagakure working in tandem with Otogakure." Orochimaru explained, his golden eyes peering past the group of Jōnin to reach Rasa.

The leader of the Sand nodded, he was already aware of the basics. "And you're confident that our combined might can crush Konoha? Given our relationship, I've had enough of a chance to study their strengths and they have it in spades. Make no mistake, the Leaf possess powerful ninja." He relayed, drawing a smirk out of his… partner.

Orochimaru didn't underestimate the strength of others; he wouldn't have gotten so far in life had he done so. "I possess powerful ninja too, and so do you. That son of yours, he's just as talented as you are. He could maybe even surpass you one day; wouldn't that be a sight to see?" The snake-like man alluded, urging a furrowed brow out of Rasa.

"Keep your serpent eyes on the goal and away from my son, Shinin." He warned, his tone employing an incredibly sharp edge.

Orochimaru nodded, though the smile never left his pale face. "Forgive me, Lord Kazekage, sometimes I don't know when to stop." He feigned an apology, before he snapped his fingers.

Rasa's eyes widened as a tremor suddenly hit the area, causing everything to shake and rattle thunderously. "What is the meaning of this?!" He bellowed, watching his men grow unsteady on their feet.

Orochimaru grinned, his tongue lashing out like that of a snake. "You brought your guards to our little secret meet up, I thought I'd let someone tag along too." He cryptically added, before the ground began to open up beneath the feet of Rasa and his men.

Four long, sleek and distinctly metal arms exploded out of the sand, snaking their way through the air and towards Rasa and his men. "Treachery… I expected no less," Rasa muttered, waving his hand and employing a hefty amount of Chakra to bring forth a solid wall of Gold Dust.

One of the metal arms collided with the Chakra infused wall, hitting it over and over again until it cracked the surface and ultimately, bashed through. Rasa dived out of its path, turning to see that his men were struggling to fend off the silver appendages. He didn't have time to worry about them too much though, as Orochimaru bolted straight for him with inhuman speed.

Rasa once again brought his hand up, his sandals twisting in the sand beneath him as he brought forth waves of Gold Dust and went on the offence. "You'll die for this betrayal!" Rasa shouted, throwing everything he had at Orochimaru.

The serpent-like Shinobi moved with such fluidity that Rasa had never been witness to, bending his body and side-stepping his Gold Dust obstacles as though it were child's play. "I'm simply betraying a betrayer; I'm honestly surprised you didn't see this coming." He mocked, reaching the man in no time at all.

He went to strike Rasa, only for his fist to be caught by another hand made of Gold Dust. Rasa took the opportunity to attack, sweeping around with his heel aimed directly for Orochimaru's head, missing by inches as the slippery ninja simply elongated his neck and avoided the kick. Rasa didn't have to wave his hand to send a pillar of Gold Dust directly at the criminal, at point blank range no less.

Orochimaru sprawled for a moment, mid-air and admittedly winded. "Striking Shadow Snakes!" He called out, aiming his arm at Rasa as he summoned four snakes.

They wound their out of his sleeve, hissing with their teeth dripping with poisonous venom. Not a moment later, they shot straight for the Kage, stretching like no ordinary snake could. Rasa brought his hands together, waiting for the snakes to get as close as possible before he closed his palms forcefully.

Two pillars of Gold Dust immediately formed and collided with one another, crushing the many snakes dead, one of them inches away from Rasa's face as it gave one last hiss with its forked tongue. Life left it, its siblings smeared between solid Gold Dust. A puff of smoke clouded his senses as the summons disappeared, creating the perfect opening for Orochimaru.

A long tongue, even Rasa was disgusted by it, walloped him straight in the face. The force was great enough to send him tumbling down a hill of sand, with Orochimaru giving chase shortly after. The leader of Suna came out of the roll, bringing his hand up to cause the very ground beneath his opponent to rise high into the air. Orochimaru faltered, seeing that he was standing on a thick layer of Gold Dust.

Rasa let a grim smirk grace his lips as he made a ball with his fist, converging the Gold Dust all in one place. It flew towards Orochimaru, high in the sky and giving him no room to breathe. He dodged, tucked and rolled, bent his insanely flexible body as much as he could manage but fell prey to the Gold Dust's prison.

Rasa's entire fist trembled as he held the ball as hard as he could, but frowned when he felt resistance. "Wind Release: Great Breakthrough." Orochimaru murmured before his lungs were flooded with Gold Dust, a last ditch attempt to escape from his fate.

Rasa had to shield his eyes when his Gold Dust blew apart in all directions, at the complete mercy of the wind carrying it on its currents. "Son of a—" he forced out threw gritted teeth, watching as Orochimaru deftly dropped back down to the shimmering sand of their battleground.

"Oh, I concur completely." He jested, sprinting straight for the Kazekage.

Predictively and just what Orochimaru had been expecting, Rasa brought forth yet another sturdy wall of Gold Dust. "That's getting rather old," the snake Shinin mused, striking at it as hard as he could.

Even with his considerable strength, it merely dented the wall, reforming once he removed his fist. "I'll have your head for this! I'll see to it that the other four Kage are made aware of this treachery!" Rasa threatened, listening to Orochimaru pound away on his defence.

But his expression twisted into one of confusion when all he heard was the man laughing maniacally. "How?! You can't send word to them without incriminating yourself! Face it, Rasa; you have no-one to turn to… provided you even make it out of this alive." Orochimaru ominously stated, causing Rasa to falter momentarily.

But as he held his defence, he came to a conclusion that he'd been trying to stave off for a long time. "Then perhaps it's time I own up to my mistakes and misgivings, for the people of the Sand do not deserve to be plunged into war because of their misguided leader." He solemnly admitted, his own voice filling the silence that had set in.

Strange, a second prior, Orochimaru had been hammering away at his walls of Gold Dust. Unbeknownst to Rasa, the Shinin had tunnelled beneath the softness of the sand and climbed out of the ever moving surface to stand behind him. He had done it all while making nary a sound, something only those of Jōnin-level ninja could accomplish.

And he was above and beyond what any Jōnin was capable of…

"It's nothing personal, Rasa." Orochimaru hissed, before he brandished some sort of long, silver blade.

It was a double-edge jian, a sword by the name of the Kusanagi Blade. Rasa gasped, spinning on his heel just in time to be on the receiving end of it. The blade glowed an ethereal light blue as it penetrated him, forcing its way through his ribcage and spine, to protrude from his back, stained with a dark crimson. Rasa's eyes widened in fear and shock, reflecting the absolute glee and evil in Orochimaru's own yellow eyes.

The Kage coughed, blood leaking out of his mouth as he grasped fruitlessly at his attacker. "But… b—but you needed… me," Rasa struggled to choke out, his body trembling as everything began to slowly shut down.

Orochimaru leaned in a little closer, his voice barely above a whisper. "Not you… just your face, and the mindless allegiance of your forces." He grinned, his snake-like fangs showing as the life left Rasa.

Orochimaru pulled the blade back out of the Kage and watched as the deceased slumped to the sand beneath him, his kimono spattered with his own blood. "Thank you for the distraction, Ottō. Do I need to ask?" The man questioned, turning to a rather short hooded figure, his four distinct metal arms hidden beneath a rather drab brown cloak.

The man wore a pair of simplistic circular glasses, and he nodded shortly. "The guard detail has been dealt with; the desert makes for an excellent place to hide all evidence of this altercation." Ottō Okuta, a mysterious but intelligently sound man, explained.

"You should know, you're the one who picked it." Orochimaru noted, recognizing that the man was simply patting himself on the back to feed his own ego.

Something that could've been considered a weakness, a seriously inflated need to constantly prove how smart he was to everyone, including his superior. But his intelligence was the least noteworthy thing about him when his kekkei genkai was brought into the discussion, four octopus-like arms that protruded from the man's back.

The metal plating had come later, when Ottō had been involved in an unfortunate lab accident. It was ironic really, because the original intention of the experiment he'd carried out was to remove the arms, not reinforce them to the point where they could not be removed.

"Everything is in place then, Lord Orochimaru, just as you'd planned." The spectacled assistant addressed his better, watching as the Shinin bent down to look over his fallen victim.

He brought one of his pale white hands and glided it over the fear stricken facial features of the Fourth Kazekage, like a single moment frozen in time. A slow smile spread across his lips, fraught with the most ill of intents.

"Yes, this should do rather nicely. The perfect cover to get as close to the Hokage as possible, no-one will suspect a thing. But above all else, the Leaf will never be the same again." Orochimaru mused, possibly the biggest and most important part of his plan complete in the coming invasion of Konoha.

* * *

It hadn't taken nearly as long for Team 7 to return to the Village Hidden in the Leaves, they hadn't been slowed down by Tazuna and the negative, dangerous attention the man was drawing their way. In fact, it had been relatively smooth sailing for the team of four, a young Jōnin and his three adolescent students.

They'd stopped to rest every now and then, take in the sights the surrounding world had to offer, and he'd taken the spare time to continue their training. Every single tree they'd passed, Naruto felt the need to prove himself and climb it, right to the very top. He kept promising that it was the last time each and every time but then lo and behold, he'd spy an even taller tree and his constant need to better himself would kick in.

Sakura had joined him, at the behest of Kakashi, to make sure the lad didn't hurt himself and to strengthen herself as well. They excelled, while Pītā floundered somewhat, quite literally. Kakashi had ordered the child to walk across every single body of water the squad passed by, to lacklustre results each and every time.

Kakashi didn't blame the lad, it wasn't his fault. He was trying his best, and clearly wanted to progress like his teammates. The Leaf veteran simply put it down to his heritage; spiders seemed to rely on their powers, their physicality much more than any other form of the ninja art. They were specifically good in Taijutsu, and were even rumoured to have created a fighting technique that was able to combat any and all forms of Taijutsu.

He wasn't sure whether that was true or not, but he certainly remembered one of the legendary Shinin, Madame Juria Kāpentā, was famous for being virtually untouchable in hand-to-hand. His 'eternal rival', Might Guy, was a master of Taijutsu and even he looked up to the woman's skill in combat. In fact, the man cited her as a personal hero of his.

It was a shame the woman was believed to be dead, she'd been the only spider left before her mysterious disappearance. She would've most likely had a much easier time training Pītā, given their shared heritage. It was upsetting watching Pītā try and fail countless times, not because he'd fail, failing was a natural part of life after all.

But because he'd beat himself up so much for it, like failing was simply not an option to him. It was admirable, if a little unrealistic. A person couldn't journey through life and not expect to fail, such lofty goals were impossible. Besides, where was the fun in not failing? Succeeding at everything on the first try was boring, there was no challenge present.

Kakashi told the brunette to get up, dust himself off and try again. He'd get it eventually; it just took time and hard work. And he was attempting a more advanced version of Chakra control due to his unique abilities, he was only twelve, these things took time. Still, he'd never once seen the boy lose that devilishly sharp sense of humour of his and just like Naruto grinning all of the time; Kakashi wouldn't have changed it for the world.

He wanted nothing more than to let the kids off the hook, avoid the formality of having to report to the Hokage and just let them go and see their loved ones. But it was mandatory, all team members had to be present, they were a fully sanctioned ninja team now, it was all part of growing up. Naruto didn't seem to mind, he wanted to visit the most powerful man in the Land of Fire to do nothing but boast.

Boast about how the mission had gone, how he'd finally been the one to save everybody. Sakura and Pītā didn't seem to mind, it wasn't like they had any choice in the matter. The pink haired girl simply nodded and followed her teacher, while the brunette smart mouth brought up the rear, his hands stuffed into his pockets yet again.

Kakashi lead his children towards the Academy building, his single grey eye focused on the towering extension above the place of guidance and education. He wouldn't leave anything out in his report to the Hokage, every scrap of information he'd picked up whilst on his first mission with his new pupils was of vital importance. But above all, what had taken place on the bridge in the Land of Waves was of the highest priority.

The Jōnin nodded to the few familiar faces he passed, Kurenai Yūhi and her bunch of Academy graduates. The calculated Shino Aburame, the insect user. The brash Kiba Inuzuka and the boy's ninkin companion, Akamaru. And last but certainly not least, the shy but sweet Hinata Hyūga, the young girl in possession of the Byakugan. Unlike his mismatched team of varied abilities, Kurenai's Team 8 specialized in the field of tracking.

He wouldn't admit it outright, it was rather improper for a sensei to show interest in another sensei's students, but they were an interesting group with rather intriguing abilities. If he hadn't been assigned his team, he wouldn't have minded working with Team 8. But Kurenai was no doubt doing a marvellous job with them, she was one of the most skilled Kunoichi he'd ever had the pleasure of meeting.

She offered him a friendly smile as he passed by, before redirecting her attention to her own students. They were preoccupied with Kakashi's students, something she'd been expecting. They were kids after all, and they'd grown up in the Academy together, it was natural to want to say hello to a friend.

Her only female student, the purple haired Hinata Hyūga, shied away from the curious gaze of one Naruto Uzumaki. The pre-teen blushed a deep red, fidgeting with her fingers as she stared downwards at the toes poking out of her sandals. Kurenai knew that look, that feeling. It was blatantly clear to her just what Hinata was experiencing, all girls went through crushes.

Observing her male students however, the both of them seemed to be fixated on one Pītā Pākā. Kiba smirked, offering the impossibly flexible lad a nod with his hands stuffed into his coat pockets. She watched as the spider returned it, but neither one of them traded any words. She'd heard that the two of them had been friends during their Academy days, though wondered how anyone could put up with Kiba's hard-headed personality.

Shino on the other hand, simply tensed up, almost freezing in place as his eyes followed the red and blue Shinobi, hidden beneath those sunglasses of his. The many insects concealed within his overcoat began to buzz incessantly, as though immediate danger was nearby. Pītā raised his palm as if to say hi, but Shino didn't return it. The boy didn't dwell on it as Team 7 passed them in the streets of Konoha, and Kurenai had to wonder just what was going through Shino's mind.

"Shino, everything all right?" The red eyed Kunoichi questioned, placing a hand on the lad's overcoat covered shoulder.

His hidden eyes didn't break away from the retreating form of the spider, so Kiba felt the need to answer for him. "Don't worry about it, sensei. Shino over here always keeps his guard up around Pākā; it's been that way for as long as any of us can remember." The dog user explained, igniting their elder's curiosity.

With her eyebrows raised, she broke contact with the boy to let her gaze settle on a meek Hinata. "I think it's because of their heritage, sensei. Insects are natural prey for spiders, it makes sense that Shino would be a little on edge around Pītā… right, Shino?" The girl in possession of the Byakugan queried, she didn't want to make assumptions after all.

Shino finally spoke, that calm and quiet tone of his slightly muffled due to the large collar of his grey overcoat. "My insects know a predator when they see one," he shortly stated, turning to address his teammates, both soft-spoken and impulsive in nature.

The impulsive one furrowed a brow, cocking a thumb in the direction Team 7 had departed. "Who, Pākā? Get real, the guy thinks he's a comedian, not some dangerous animal. Now, Akamaru and I, we're the real alphas of the village. Right, buddy?" Kiba boasted, glancing at his shoulder to address the small black and white pup perched there.

The ninkin gave an enthused bark, wagging his tiny tail as Kiba rubbed the underside of his muzzle. "If you say so," Shino responded, in such a passive way that only Kurenai was wise enough to realize that the boy was mocking him.

The expert Genjutsu user had to roll her eyes, sharing a brief look of sympathy with Hinata. "Enough with the testosterone, boys. I've got a few missions lined up for you today and I expect nothing but your best, move it." Kurenai ordered, placing a hand on her hip as she pointed down the street with her free one.

Shino was the first to obey, silently stalking ahead with a quiet and submissive Hinata following suit. Kiba, ever the rebel, was the last to move, muttering something to Akamaru about 'weak kid's stuff'. Kurenai knew that he was keeping his reservations about the missions they'd been on to himself, but could also tell that he didn't like one bit of it.

Regardless of the lad's personal feelings on the matter, finding lost pets and cleaning up the rivers around Konoha was as far as they were going to go. They were just Genin; fresh out of the Academy after all, they weren't even supposed to leave the village so soon. Kurenai didn't know how Kakashi did things with his team, but she'd heard about the C-Rank mission the Hokage had assigned them.

The dark haired vixen wasn't sure she agreed with sending such young ninja on missions of that particular calibre, but she held her tongue, it wasn't any of her business. Naruto, Sakura and Pītā weren't her kids, but it didn't mean that she couldn't show concern for their well-being. The Academy rookies, as well as Guy's team, were the future of the Leaf. And as their sensei, it was their duty to ensure that they weren't killed a few weeks into their careers as Shinobi and Kunoichi respectively.

For now, her team would carry out D-Rank missions and no higher, not until she considered them ready to tackle the many dangers of the ninja world. "I hope you know what you're doing, Kakashi." Kurenai murmured to herself, watching from afar as the Jōnin led his band of youths through the large Academy doors and disappeared from sight.

* * *

It was quiet in the office of the Hokage, the office itself was a very open room with clean white walls and polished, glossy floorboards. The room held no furniture, save for a prestigious desk, the workspace of the leader of the Leaf. The man himself sat in silence, dressed in the instantly recognizable red and white kimono that was tradition for all Fire Shadows to wear.

The hat he usually sported, wide and triangular in its design, sat off to the side of his desk as he poured over a mess of scrolls, documents and reports in front of him. A smoking pipe hung out of his mouth, the occasional puff of grey smoke billowing out of the end of said pipe every now and again, but the grizzled veteran simply continued to read.

He'd gotten much less aware in his old age, sixty nine if he was recalling correctly. But he noticed the door to his office slide open with care, and he noticed the four individuals stroll through it. Hiruzen noticed Kakashi Hatake, in his ever mysterious nature, stand with his hands crammed into his pockets and stare at the man silently, with that one eye of his that always seemed bored.

The Hokage noticed the pink haired one, the Kunoichi, Sakura Haruno; stand by her sensei with the respect and restraint that he'd expect from a young, aspiring ninja. He didn't have to raise his head or let his eyes wonder to notice the spider, Pītā Pākā, hop onto the wall, apparently finding the vertical surface much more comfortable than the normality of the floor.

And last but not least, how could he not notice Naruto Uzumaki?

The blonde child marched right up to the Hokage, completely forgoing any sense of formality or rules and brought both of his hands down on the solid surface of the desk. "Bet you thought you'd never see me again, huh, old man?!" Naruto challenged, blue eyes firmly shut as a large grin spanned his face.

Hiruzen carefully and calmly raised his head, before he slowly pulled his pipe out of his mouth and breathed a bout of smoke off to the side, he didn't want to do it right in the face of a child after all. "On the contrary, boy, I've been awaiting your return with bated breath." The elderly man, though still fully capable of a good scrap if need be, responded.

And he smirked as the grin on Naruto's face died, as though the boy had been looking forward to rubbing his success in the man's face. "Oh… well… that's good then! It's about time people started showing me some respect around here!" He spoke, using that same boisterously heightened volume he employed.

A stark contrast to the way a ninja was supposed to be, soft spoken and indecipherable in their ways. "Hmm… so your mission was a success, I take it?" Hiruzen supposed, looking past the spiky haired child to address the highest ranking ninja in the room… besides him, of course.

Kakashi dejectedly nodded, his voice also a far cry from that of his student's. "Indeed it was, Lord Hokage. There were a few… hiccups along the way, I'll explain in greater detail in my written report but Team 7 performed admirably. Not bad for their first time outside of the walls, wouldn't you say?" He queried, drawing a concurring nod out of the man.

The legendary Shinobi carefully took in the image of Kakashi's poorly matched team and had to admit, they had impressed him. Of course, Genin in the past had done so much more at their age, but times had changed since then. Nonetheless, they were fresh rookies and they'd soundly completed a C-Rank mission in a decent amount of time. He didn't think they'd have taken months to achieve their goal, but again, he had to put it down to their inexperience.

"No, not bad at all. But these hiccups you mentioned, anything of note?" Hiruzen pressed, he hadn't liked the way Kakashi had paused slightly.

As he'd expected, there seemed to be more to the story. "Unfortunately, yes. The bridge builder, he lied to us, Lord Hokage. My team and I were to provide protection from common thieves and thugs, not trained killers and rival Shinobi." Kakashi expressed, clear disdain present in his smooth voice.

Hiruzen didn't seem surprised; in fact, he'd picked up quite an odd vibe about the bridge builder when he'd requested a team of ninja to escort him to the Land of Waves. Had he been younger, he might've been sharp enough to have caught the man in his lie, but the stench of alcohol on the man's clothes and breath must have thrown him off. He'd mistaken him for nothing more than a lowly drunk, who happened to have been put in charge of a mass construction project.

In retrospect, that would've been a terrible decision. "Someone was out to kill him then, of course." Hiruzen mulled, earning a nod of agreement from his lower ranking Shinobi.

Kakashi placed a hand on Sakura's shoulder, offering her an encouraging look as he continued. "I should've turned back and returned my students to the village, but they were brave enough to want to push on. All three of them, they didn't handle the situation like rookies, they handled it like trained ninja." The man boasted, pride crystal clear in his tone.

"What makes you say that?" The Hokage inquired, he was curious to know what the youths had done to garner such high praise from their teacher.

The silver haired veteran of the Leaf didn't mind, he wanted to go into greater detail. "Because… while I was incapacitated, my team—my kids, fought and survived an encounter with Zabuza Momochi." He revealed, actually serving to stun Hiruzen.

There was no mistaking it; the missing-nin was one of the most notorious killers in the ninja world's history. "The Demon of the Hidden Mist," he muttered, trying to wrap his head around the idea of three Genin taking on one of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist and living to tell the tale.

Especially for one as cutthroat as Zabuza, if the stories were to be believed. "Yes, Lord Hokage. He intercepted us twice during our journey, accompanied by a… child no less. A boy named Haku, with a very powerful kekkei genkai that allows him to bend and shape ice to his heart's content." Kakashi informed his superior, a man he'd looked up to for years.

Hiruzen, who deserved such respect, straightened in his seat. "You speak of this child in the present tense," the ninja, a Shinobi of the highest ranking, pointed out.

Kakashi nodded, though wasn't sure how the man was going to take the news. "And it is no error on my part, Zabuza and Haku both still live. They surrendered their lives to us in the Land of Waves, speaking of a higher purpose in the Land of Water. I saw no reason to kill them; Zabuza even aided me in taking the head of the man who sought the bridge builder's life." He defended his actions; they were very controversial after all.

When coming across a missing-nin, especially one as dangerous as the demon, dispatching them was considered to be the best course of action. Hiruzen didn't seem angry or upset; instead he simply set his jaw. He wasn't happy with the outcome; a man like Zabuza Momochi did not deserve such a thing as mercy. But he trusted Kakashi's judgement; the man wouldn't have spared him without any good reason.

Though it had only confirmed doubts raised by Kakashi's peers years prior, when Hiruzen had relieved him of his post in the ANBU Black Ops. While the copy-nin was extremely effective, had displayed the kind of cold and ruthless techniques needed to flourish in the ANBU, Kakashi's heart was ultimately too kind for that sort of lifestyle.

In fact, that had been the entire reason Hiruzen had reassigned him as an Academy Jōnin, with the hopes that the exposure to children and their pure hearts would bring him out of the darkness that had infested his life. But the less said about that, the better.

"Lord Hokage, Kakashi-Sensei quelled the demon. He ended the fight without the loss of life, isn't that a good thing?" Sakura, the rosy cheeked child that had stayed by her teacher's side, suggested.

Hiruzen smirked; he just hoped that being surrounded by children wouldn't make Kakashi too soft. "Indeed it is, Sakura, you're very wise to point that out. I'm sure your sensei had his reasons and in the end, your job was to protect the bridge builder, not kill an S-Rank criminal. Though, it does strike me as odd. You hear such stories about the demon; about his origins and activities… he does not seem the surrendering type." The Kage voiced his concern, and it was a fair concern at that.

Kakashi let his grey eyes leave Sakura, having thanked her wordlessly for her support. "You're not wrong, Lord Hokage. But when presented with something even he couldn't comprehend, he chose to survive. Isn't that what ninja do, survive?" He cryptically questioned, drawing a furrow of the brow out of Hiruzen.

Kakashi was trying to get at something, though he wasn't sure what. "Yes, well… I'll have to follow that up. The mercenary, Zabuza Momochi and… a boy by the name of Haku, journeying to the Land of Water. For whatever reason, let us hope that it isn't nefarious." Hiruzen summarized, quickly writing the information down on a nearby scroll, employing a soft brush tipped with oil black ink.

A voice chirped up, bringing Hiruzen's tired eyes away from the scroll and to one of the nearby walls. "So… Lord Hokage, not that it's not super great to see you or anything but… are we done here? Because I haven't seen my aunt in forever, I don't know where that falls on your list of priorities but for me, it's right at the top." Pītā finally broke his silence, sat on the wall with his arms resting over his knees.

Hiruzen had actually forgotten the boy was even present, he didn't know whether to attest that to his old age or the child's evasive nature. Even in the ninja world, he was used to people just standing like regular people, namely where gravity pulled them, which was almost always towards the ground. He hadn't had any sort of contact with a spider in so long; their mannerisms and inability to behave like a normal person had been lost on him.

He refrained from chastising the boy and his somewhat blunt attitude, he simply wanted to go home and see a familiar face. "Quite right, Pītā. After all, family is the most important thing in our lives and it would serve you well to hold onto it, whatever the cost. I'll take great care to read through your exploits when your sensei documents them, for now however, your services to this village and its people are no longer needed. Go home, get some rest and embrace those you love, for there is always another mission on the horizon." Hiruzen formally let the children off the hook, taking them off duty for now.

"Wow… did you prepare that or did that just come to you?" Pītā asked with a hidden smirk, though had actually been taken by the man's wise words.

Sakura had to repress a severe roll of the eyes and keep a friendly smile plastered on her face; she didn't want to give off a negative light, not in front of the Hokage anyway. "It just came to me, off the top of my head." Hiruzen indulged the boy; he didn't mind the odd joke now and again.

Pītā nodded, before he flipped from his perch and landed on the other side of Sakura. "You should totally write greetings cards, just in case this whole Hokage thing doesn't work out for you." He jested, finding the man to be sort of okay.

Not the usual stick up the butt type of elder anyway…

Hiruzen placed his pipe back into his mouth and gave a short puff, as if considering the brunette's words. "It's certainly something to think on," he simply replied, watching as Kakashi placed a hand on his student's solid shoulder.

The action stopped Pītā from spouting anything else, much to the relief of Sakura and Kakashi. "I think we've taken up quite enough of the Hokage's time, Pītā. For now, you're dismissed, kids. You're on your own time now, so do with it as you will. Although, I wouldn't keep your parents waiting, Sakura. You too, Pītā." The silver haired Shinobi advised, watching the pair look up at him and nod in reply.

They left for the door, and upon leaving the formality of the Hokage's office, started bickering and arguing, going for each other's throats like that of two wild animals. Quite a racket followed, and Kakashi could only assume that Pītā being himself and all, had said something to the girl that had… triggered her, for lack of a better word.

There was silence in the room for a moment, as the shouting match had moved from the Academy's interior to the streets of Konoha, Sakura's rage fuelled voice echoing across the village. Kakashi closed his eyes for a moment, as if nursing an oncoming headache that hadn't quite brewed yet.

Upon opening his eyes, his single grey one viewable to the world, he spied a quiet Naruto and had to remind himself, the boy didn't have any parents. Well, not anymore at least. Kakashi stepped closer to the Hokage's desk, joining the blonde prankster and placing a hand on his shoulder for a moment. He felt uncomfortable; he had when he'd done it to Sakura and Pītā.

Given his history, he still wasn't completely at ease around children. But Hiruzen saw it, saw it as clear as day as Naruto's bright blue eyes found Kakashi's cold grey one. This team of his, this almost hopeless team that shouldn't have worked, not in a million years… it was growing on him. It was unmistakeable, the look in Kakashi's eye.

Unmistakable because he'd experienced it himself, he knew what it felt like to look upon something with such… affection. "What about me, Kakashi-Sensei?" Naruto chirped, a little downtrodden and understandably so.

Before the boy was further reminded of his lack of parents, Hiruzen cut in. "Actually, Naruto, I understand that a particular someone is waiting for you at the Ichiraku Ramen Shop." The old Kage imparted, brightening Naruto's glum complexion considerably.

His eyebrows shot up, ocean blue eyes widened in excitement. "You mean—?!" He began but was interrupted by the subtle chuckling of the Hokage, the boy had always been a much needed shot in the arm of joy.

He nodded, prompting Naruto to almost jump on the spot. "That's right, Iruka's waiting for you, boy. And apparently, he can't wait to hear all about your real first mission. So go on, go and tell him what a success you were, have a bowl of ramen on me." Hiruzen encouraged, waving the boy off.

Naruto almost shot out of the room, almost bolted from his spot in front of the Hokage's desk, when he stopped dead. He looked up at Kakashi, a bright beaming grin plastered across his face, as if anything else was more at home. The Jōnin raised his single exposed eyebrow, wondering what the lad was still doing there.

"Kakashi-Sensei, can I go? Huh, can I?" Naruto practically pleaded, asking the man for permission despite being given the go ahead by the Hokage himself.

Kakashi found himself smiling beneath his dark blue mask; it was comforting to know that the lad respected him enough to deem his permission necessary, the mark of a good student. The famed ninja pocketed one of his gloved hands, his lone grey eye looking upon the lad with favour.

"Tell Iruka how you saved the day, Naruto." Kakashi suggested, ruffling the kid's blonde messy hair with his free hand.

Naruto just about rocketed out of the room, still audible to the two men as he barrelled through the upper hallways of the Academy, tumbling down the creaking wooden stairs and finally, leaving the building with a massive spring in his adolescent step.

And then Kakashi was left alone with Hiruzen, which was what he'd been waiting for all along. "Now that the children are gone, I trust that there is more to your story, Kakashi." The leader of the Leaf speculated, having noticed a certain… eagerness in the Shinobi ever since he'd entered the office.

It was hard to spot, the man hid it well. "Yes, Lord Hokage. It's unfortunate to say but… when we were out there, in the Land of Waves, something happened. Something of great importance and also great danger, something that we knew would happen eventually, it was simply a matter of time. You know what I'm talking about, don't you?" Kakashi questioned, earning a grim nod out of his better.

Hiruzen had feared such a day, but didn't let his fear fill his senses. "The seal… the seal holding the Nine-Tailed Fox… if it had broken, you wouldn't be standing here." He admitted, and it was true, every bit of it.

Kakashi confirmed his depressing assessment with a short nod, neither him nor any of his students would have returned to Konoha had the seal broken completely. "The seal holds, Lord Hokage. But it's been loosened, letting the demon's power crawl through to Naruto. It happened during a moment of great emotional stress for the boy, but it subsided when he calmed down." He explained, filling in the Hokage about everything he could remember.

It was a little hazy, even for him. He'd been preoccupied with Zabuza at the time, and the missing-nin's mist technique hadn't helped matters. But there was no mistaking it, Naruto's Chakra levels had been off the charts, almost levelling the entire bridge. That wasn't the work of a twelve year old boy who barely mastered tree climbing; it was the work of an ancient evil dwelling within.

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention, Kakashi." Hiruzen expressed his gratitude, earning a courteous bow from the elite ninja.

But Kakashi was still concerned; he wasn't sure what they were supposed to do in the event of the seal loosening. "And what of Naruto?" He queried, because whether a kitsune demon inhabited the boy or not, he was still his student.

Hiruzen took a moment before he answered, a brief second or two of calculative thought. "He needs guidance, a soft but nurturing hand, from someone who can understand him. I'd do it myself but… well, as Hokage, I constantly find myself more than a little preoccupied." He voiced his disdain; the man wouldn't have minded training a boy who he thought of as a grandson.

Kakashi was more than willing to do it but couldn't spend the time that would've been needed of him with just Naruto; he had two other students to worry about and couldn't simply neglect them. "I find myself in a similar situation, Lord Hokage. May I suggest something a little out of left field?" He inquired, drawing the curiosity of the man sat before him.

Before that curiosity morphed into realization, because Hiruzen knew full well what Kakashi was suggesting. "Hmm… he is the boy's Godfather… perhaps… well, I don't see any other option. It's settled then; I'll send word to Master Jiraiya at once." The Kage concluded, drawing a satisfied nod out of his subordinate.

"I'll write up the report, explain in-depth what happened in the Land of Waves. If that is all you need of me, Lord Hokage." Kakashi once again bowed in respect, before turning on his heel to depart.

Hiruzen was about to let him, until something else struck him. "Curse this advanced age of mine, I almost forgot. The Chūnin Exams are set to take place in the coming weeks; do you plan on submitting your students? They've already proved themselves more than capable, managing to defeat an S-Rank criminal is no small feat." He reminded the Jōnin, drawing nothing but the same vague look of casual disinterest out of him.

Kakashi seemed to ponder the question for a moment, his hands where they usually were, stuffed comfortably into his deep pants pockets. "They've certainly earned it, that much is true. But do you think it's wise to let Naruto compete, especially considering recent events?" He asked, seeking the wisdom of his elder, much in the same way his students sought of him.

Hiruzen let a soft smile form on his aged, wrinkled lips. "It matters not what we do or don't want for the boy, he's old enough to make his own decisions. Offer him submission and whether or not he takes it, well, it's entirely up to him. The exams take place in a relatively controlled environment, there is danger present, yes but if the Nine-Tails once again attempts to manifest, we will be there to do something about it." The Third Hokage, respected by many, reasoned.

Kakashi was one of those people, the veteran Shinobi had earned his respect several times over. "Very well, we'll leave it in the hands of Naruto. I'll take my leave, Lord Hokage." The Jōnin headed for the door once more, and finally left just as his three students had moments earlier.

Hiruzen was left alone with his thoughts, an old man in an empty office with nothing but troubles and grievances playing on his tired mind. It was the right path to take, summoning his old student to mentor Naruto. Jiraiya, sans his… odd misgivings and questionable characteristics, was no fool. He was one of the legendary Shinin after all, the four ninja that had been dubbed so by Hanzō of the Salamander, the notoriously formidable leader of Amegakure.

It was fitting actually, that Jiraiya would be the one to train Naruto. He'd trained the boy's father after all, the legendary Fourth Hokage, who'd perished so early in his lifetime. But at a great cost, the very reason Konoha was still standing and the very reason the Nine-Tails found itself trapped within Naruto. Hiruzen only hoped that the child wasn't tethered to the same fate, though he had no way of knowing.

Only time would tell…

* * *

A week passed since Team 7 returned home to the Village Hidden in the Leaves, welcomed back like competent ninja and not immature children. It was a breath of fresh air, especially where Naruto was concerned. They'd completed a B-Rank mission, three Genin, right out of the Academy, had actually survived a B-Rank mission.

It was practically unheard of, things like that just didn't happen. Though, given their impressive success, they weren't expecting to be relegated right back to D-Rank missions as soon as they returned. Naruto had been ready and willing to get back out there, fight the good fight, help anyone else who needed his help.

Sakura had been less enthused, actually preferring to stay within the safe, familiar walls of Konoha for the time being. The trio of ninja had been gone for months, so much time without seeing friendly faces or sleeping in their own bed. There was nothing quite like that, sleeping in one's own bed. Anything else was just a substitute, like there was something special and sacred about a person's own personal bed.

Maybe that was just how kids felt, but Sakura didn't particularly care, she'd relished in the feeling of being back in her own bed, her own home, sharing the same complex of apartments as her teammate. Pītā didn't seem to mind staying for a while, he was eager to get back out into the outside world to actually achieve something, but he wasn't in any hurry.

Besides, Kakashi had eased up on them quite a bit since returning, but had overseen their frivolous exploits. Well, maybe frivolous to Naruto, though everything was frivolous to him if action or ramen wasn't involved. The teacher had assigned them several jobs over the week, simple things like pulling weeds, walking dogs, and cleaning up the waste in some of the streams and rivers around the village. Of course, with Naruto, it's never as easy as any of that.

So, after a week of disappointment after disappointment, with Kakashi refusing to explain to the kids just why they couldn't leave the village, he left them in a wide alleyway. He'd uttered some lame excuse like 'I have to file my report' but the children weren't idiots, he was hiding something from them.

What, they had no clue. The Jōnin was mysterious and hard to read even when he wasn't trying to be, so for him to be going out of his way to keep them in the dark about something, it was unusual to say the least.

"Do you think he's ever gonna put that book down?" Pītā aired, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he gazed skyward, his enhanced sense of hearing able to pick up the screeching call of an airborne eagle.

Chocolate coloured orbs studied the bird of prey for a moment, before dismissing it entirely as he redirected his gaze back to his comrades. "I don't care about his crummy book! I care about getting stronger, faster! That's not gonna happen if we have to keep doing these lame missions!" Naruto voiced his opinion and for once, didn't draw the ire of his female teammate.

Sakura, the only Kunoichi on Team 7, nodded with a little reluctance. "As much as I hate to say it, Naruto's right. There are ninja out there that are so much stronger than we are, how are we supposed to match them by picking up trash and taking care of peoples pets?" She threw the question out to anyone, hoping that either one of her friends could answer her.

Naturally, Pītā spoke up. "Well, you heard the man; we're on our own time now. We can do whatever we want, so why don't we take our training into our own hands? Couldn't hurt, right?" He suggested, watching as both Naruto and Sakura traded looks before nodding.

"I… I've been struggling a little bit in Taijutsu and… well; you're pretty handy with your fists." The pink haired girl admitted, it wasn't easy to own up to one's own faults, especially in front of friends.

Pītā smiled, nobody was perfect. "And I've been sucking hard in Chakra control; I need a master like you to help me out. What do you say, Haruno, you up for it?" He buttered the girl up, drawing the faintest trace of a blush out of her as she narrowed her emerald eyes at him.

With her fists on her yet to develop waist, Sakura felt the corners of her mouth twitch as Pītā stared back at her. "Flatterer," she mumbled.

The lad shrugged, feigning innocence. "What, I can't compliment a teammate?" He queried, arching an eyebrow as he stood before the girl.

Unflinching and unafraid, his usual demeanour even when faced with great danger. "Oh, you can. But it better not be followed up by some kind of snarky insult or sarcastic comment," Sakura warned the boy, drawing a quiet chuckle from his mask covered mouth.

"Perish the thought," the brunette dryly replied, waving off her concerns as she gave him 'the look'.

Now, 'the look' usually consisted of several things. Thing one, Sakura was the one who gave 'the look'. Thing two, she'd rest her fists on her slim waist and lean in closer to the person she was giving said 'look'. Thing three, she'd glare at the person, her eyes fixed on theirs for a moment, as if daring them to make any sudden movements.

The major thing was, it almost always worked on virtually everyone, sans a few exceptions. Now, Pītā, well… he was one of those exceptions. So, standing so close to him, with her eyes locked onto his, Pītā did the only appropriate thing he thought to do.

He winked at her, causing her to spin on her heel and hide the bright red blush that had lit up her cheeks. "I hate it when you do that!" She cried, folding her arms as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and shrugged.

"Then don't get all up in my space," Pītā jested, though gazed downward when he felt something brush over his sandal covered feet.

It was an odd sensation, and Pītā could only guess that what had passed over him was a bunch of smaller feet, scuttling along the solid pavement beneath a cardboard box that had been camouflaged to resemble a rock. Pītā had to blink several times, and then promptly questioned his sanity.

Glancing from Naruto to Sakura, who still had her back to him; Pītā lifted a hand out of his pocket and pointed at the box. "Is anyone else seeing the… rectangular rock?" He mumbled, watching with admittedly curious eyes as it shuffled its way towards Naruto.

Surprising Pītā and then Sakura as she turned around to see what the spider was talking about, Naruto took off running, being chased by the sentient box. "Should… should we do something?" Pītā muttered, glancing at Sakura as she struggled to take her green eyes off of the unusual scene.

The pink haired Kunoichi wasn't sure how to respond, her mouth dropping open for a moment as if she was about to say something. And then it promptly shut, no words coming to mind as Naruto played ring around with a mobile cardboard box.

Finally, the orange and blue clad lad spun around and pointed at the box, scowling at it as he stopped it in its tracks. "That's the lamest disguise I've ever seen! There's no such thing as square rocks!" Naruto bellowed, drawing a disappointed response out of the makeshift deception.

"You saw through my disguise again, boss! There's no fooling you, just what I'd expect from my greatest rival." A squeaky, adolescent voice rang out, before a blinding light shined out from beneath the box.

A small-scale explosion lit up the area, causing Naruto to throw his hands up in front of his face in an effort to guard himself. Pītā's spider-sense wasn't being activated in any way shape or form, but he instinctively placed himself ahead of Sakura, an arm outstretched to guard her. It was such a small thing, barely noticeable to the outside perspective, but Sakura noticed it. Of course, it wasn't necessary when the various colours of smoke in the air dissipated, fading from view and allowing the team of Genin to see just who had caused such an unusual spectacle.

Three children were on the ground, on their hands and knees, coughing and hacking on account of the smoke. "Maybe we should ease up on the gun powder, Konohamaru." One of the kids, two boys and a girl, suggested as he wiped his face with his blue sleeve.

There was a moment of silence, complete and utter silence as the three children looked up to see Naruto staring down at them, the blankest look imaginable present on his face. The spider and the pink haired Kunoichi weren't fairing any better, both of them sweat dropping for a brief second as they relaxed their stance.

"Just a bunch of kids… crawling around in a box… spray-painted to look like a rock… that was a strange sentence," Sakura murmured to herself, being just as lost as Pītā was on the matter.

And judging by the arched eyebrow, he was seriously lost. "You know these kids, whiskers?" Pītā posed; hand on his hip as one of the kids span around to address him.

The kid in question, Konohamaru if Pītā had heard correctly, was wearing a faded yellow t-shirt with the symbol of the Leaf printed onto it and light grey khaki shorts. The strangest thing about him though, was the blue scarf wrapped around his neck; it wasn't even close to winter yet. He was a brunette, just like the kid wearing the glasses with him. He was tiny, standing around half Naruto's height, so Pītā had to guess that the kid couldn't have been older than eight.

He pointed at Pītā, with such ferocity that it made the Shinobi's eyebrows shoot up in surprise. "Know us? Of course he knows us! I'm Konohamaru Sarutobi, and I'm the number one ninja in the village!" The boy bellowed, reminding Pītā of his louder than life friend.

He clicked his tongue, supressing the growing urge to just start howling with laughter. "That's… debatable," Pītā stopped himself, prompting the child to fold his arms and frown.

The other boy stepped up, his nose continuously leaking for some weird reason, and he was decked out in a blue jacket and light brown shorts. "Call me Udon and I love algebra!" He declared, earning a nod out of the elder ninja.

Pītā furrowed his brow; he wasn't sure what 'algebra' had to do with anything. "I'd love it if you'd wipe your nose, kiddo." He jested, watching Udon's prepubescent face light up like a furnace as he covered his running nose with his sleeve.

The girl was last to weirdly declare her name, he didn't remember doing much of that when he was younger. "And I'm Moegi, the sassiest Kunoichi in pre-school, check me out!" She was a redhead, though her hair was more auburn than anything.

Pītā gave a shake of the head, catching himself as a chuckle escaped his lips. "I'd rather not," he simply replied, confusing the child before him.

The three kids then came together, all of them posing as if they were famous heroes of some kind. "And when we're all together, we're the Konohamaru Ninja Squad!" Konohamaru announced to the world at large, drawing a blank stare out of Naruto and a laugh out of Pītā.

"Wait, wait, don't tell me… you came up with the name yourself, right?" The spider mocked, pointing at the boy with the blue scarf.

Konohamaru frowned as he was staring at the elder Shinobi in such a weird way, that it prompted Pītā to raise his eyebrows and acknowledge it. "It's not polite to stare, half-pint." He dryly responded, feeling the predictable elbow of one Sakura Haruno edge his arm.

"Pītā, they're just children." She advised him, as if she were scolding him like a mother would their child.

Konohamaru found himself tugging on Naruto's orange and blue jacket, his curious eyes never once leaving Pītā's sarcastic form. "Hey, boss, if I didn't know any better, I'd say this weirdo's making fun of us." He pointed out, drawing a steady and slow clap out of Pītā Pākā.

Sakura had to pinch the bridge of her petit nose; he couldn't just leave it well enough alone, even with an eight year old. "Oh, that's just Pītā, he does that sometimes. Don't worry about him, he's just kidding." Naruto appeased, his voice a little more on the vaguely disinterested side than his usual bombastic tone.

It was a little strange for his comrades; he sounded more like Kakashi-Sensei, not Naruto. "Hey, what's wrong, boss? We thought you'd be a little more excited, have you noticed what we're wearing?" Konohamaru questioned his rival and idol, though failed to have the desired effect on the blonde.

Naruto took a quick sweep of the kids, eyeing them proudly sporting something he used to wear himself. "My goggles… man, did I ever wear those?" The ninja asked, though the rhetorical question was aimed at himself more than anyone else.

It was true though, before Naruto had been given a Konoha forehead protector, sporting the symbol of the Village Hidden in the Leaves, he'd worn a pair of green goggles instead. He remembered what he'd done with the goggles; he'd given them to Iruka-Sensei to keep. He didn't know why, it wasn't like they were important or anything.

Naruto had just wanted his former teacher to have them…

Konohamaru beamed, a noticeable chip in one of his front teeth. "Yeah! Pretty cool, right? Now we're just like you!" The boy stood proudly, hands on his hips as though he'd achieved some kind of insurmountable goal.

And it managed to pull a small smile onto Naruto's lips, inspiring a kid that clearly looked up to him. "Coolest thing I've ever seen," he indulged them, grinning as it seemed to light the children's colourful world up.

"You think you've seen it all and then bam, Naruto groupies." Pītā muttered to Sakura, he didn't want to spoil the moment after all; he wasn't that big of a jerk.

Sakura nodded, it was a little strange but Naruto seemed to be some kind of a hit with them. "They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery," she opined, drawing a scoff out of her quick-witted companion.

"Who says that, stalkers?" The red and blue Shinobi mocked, earning a roll of the eyes out of the red dressed Kunoichi.

The duo directed their attention over to Naruto and his little fan club, watching from the side-lines as he entertained the three kids. "So, are you busy, boss? You said you'd play ninja with us, remember?" Konohamaru pestered the older boy, prompting Naruto to laugh nervously as he rubbed the back of his neck.

The lad was clearly embarrassed, and his teammates knew full well why. "A ninja playing ninja? Isn't that a little childish, Naruto?" Sakura fixed her friend with a questioning look, making Naruto squirm slightly under her gaze.

The blonde jinchūriki let his eyes wander over to Pītā, who simply raised his hands. "I'm not touching that one," was the only aid he could offer.

Naruto grew beet red, attempting to laugh off the Hokage's grandson's request to play with them as Konohamaru looked Sakura up and down. "Who's the girl, boss? With the way she talks to you, you'd think she was your mom or something." The boy blurted out, prompting Naruto's eyes to widen a fraction.

Pītā's brown eyes mimicked his pal's panicked ones, as Sakura had to pause for a moment before she gritted her teeth. "Take that back, you little brat!" She screamed, about to dive right for the kid.

Konohamaru yelped, falling backwards in fear, right into his friends. Pītā had been quick enough to wrap his arm around her waist, lifting her into the air as she kicked and swiped, desperately trying to get at the eight year old.

"Now, now, Sakura, they're just children." The spider repeated the girl's earlier warning to him, delivering a hefty dose of irony to the female Genin.

She simmered down eventually, though continued to glare daggers at the youngest Sarutobi. "I thought he was the weird one, but she's even weirder! Scratch that, she's not weird, she's crazy!" Konohamaru accused, pointing at the girl with eyes that conveyed nothing but fear.

Fear for his own safety, and rightly so too. Because his little remark had once again set Sakura off, her temper igniting as she darted ahead and gave chase to the little rascal. Naruto felt them breeze by, a twelve year old girl hunting down a boy half her height.

He glanced at Pītā, pointing after the fast and the furious. "Why didn't you grab her again?!" Naruto yelled the questioned, as if he was capable of any other volume setting.

Pītā shrugged, his teammate's urging tone doing nothing to speed up his response. "Kid was asking for it, dude." He reasoned, watching as Naruto attempted to argue back.

But ultimately, he relented. Konohamaru was one of those kids that needed some kind of reality check, he knew full well; he'd given the boy his first when they'd first crossed paths. Konohamaru was the Hokage's grandson and often used that as a reason to act like a spoilt brat, insulting everyone and anyone that got in his way.

Well, Naruto had been the first ever person not to treat him like some kind of untouchable royalty. He'd treated him like a regular kid, something Konohamaru had been craving, to be regarded as normal and not someone special just because of his relation to the leader of the Leaf Village.

Of course, Naruto had achieved this by smacking him upside the head, but that was neither here nor there. So while he was admittedly on the fence, insulting people wasn't something someone was supposed to get away with. And insulting Sakura… well, that was just an incredibly poor choice all around.

Naruto's attention was brought back to the chase, as Sakura had halted in her tracks and Konohamaru had run into something too solid for his little body to withstand. The eight year old hit the ground bottom first, wincing in slight discomfort before he gazed upwards to see just what he'd hit head on.

Stood before him, towering over the child on the solid pavement of the alleyway, were two ninja. A male and a female to be exact, though neither Naruto, Sakura or Pītā recognized them, they hadn't seen them around the village anyway. Though they quickly saw why they couldn't recognize them, as they weren't wearing Leaf headbands, but sported the symbol of Sunagakure instead, the Village Hidden in the Sand.

The village lay in the Land of Wind and was quite some distance away from the Land of Fire, an entire country sat between them in fact, the Land of Rivers. The team of Genin had to wonder just what foreign ninja were doing so far away from home, wandering around another village as if it was their own no less. It was no secret that the Sand Village and the Leaf Village were allied with one another but still, it was a little disconcerting.

The boy, who stood out the most in Pītā's humble opinion, was dressed in some kind of full body suit; it was black in colour and rather baggy in nature. The suit also extended over his head, a hood with almost cat-like ears protruding from the top of his head. A half red, half yellow circle symbol was painted on the suit's torso, and much like Pītā, the boy had his hands stuffed into his pockets.

But the features that stood out the most, practically leapt at all those present, was the purple face paint decorating his rather pale complexion. It was triangular and almost tribal in its design, also serving to cover his lips. The nameless Sand ninja carried some sort of bandaged load on his back, almost as tall as him, with some kind of brunette hair or fur poking out the top of the white wrappings.

He didn't look particularly amused, showcasing a purple painted frown as he stared down at the kid that had barged into him. "Can we help you?" He dryly responded, though the girl by his side looked less than pleased.

Her frown was a little deeper than that of her male companion, but it didn't look as though she bore any ill will, it was more a frown of confusion than anger. The girl was blonde, not overly so like Naruto or Ino Yamanaka, but more of a sandy blonde, appropriately. Her hair was arranged in four, rather sharp and jagged pony-tails and her teal coloured eyes narrowed at the child on the floor.

She was dressed in a light purple off-the-shoulders garment, that extended halfway down her thighs. The purple was divided up by a scarlet sash, tied around her lithe waist. She also wore fishnet over her exposed shoulders, her right calf and her left thigh. Much like Hinata Hyūga, she wore her forehead protector around her neck instead of on her forehead.

Like her male partner, she too carried something on her back. A long, sleek and solid metal bar. It was glossy black in colour but the trio of Genin found it hard to decipher just what it was, no notable traits stood out. She had her hands resting on her waist, and like the boy with her, appeared older than Naruto, Sakura and Pītā, maybe around three years older.

The Sand Kunoichi promptly rolled her eyes in disdain when the boy with her hoisted Konohamaru up, dangling him in the air by way of his long blue scarf. "Oh, for the love of—he's just a child, Kankurō." She complained, though it did nothing to halt the boy from tightening his grip and smirking.

"I don't care what he is, he can't expect to run into me and get away with it, that's not how the world works." The apparently named Kankurō lectured, making Konohamaru squirm in his grasp.

Naruto was the first to respond, balling his fists as Moegi and Udon stood behind him, afraid for their friend's safety. "You better put him down now or else!" He warned, ocean blue eyes narrowed.

The blonde managed to draw the Sand Shinobi's attention, though he didn't seem impressed. "Or else what, punk? You'll stand there and threaten me all day?" Kankurō mocked him openly, he wasn't afraid of some Leaf Genin trash.

Naruto gritted his teeth ferociously, he couldn't stand being insulted. "That does it!" The boy exclaimed, charging at the foreigner with everything he had.

Sakura and Pītā looked on as their teammate rushed ahead to save the president of his fan club, the pink haired Kunoichi was about to give chase when a firm hand placed itself on her shoulder, halting her completely.

"Hold up a second," Pītā advised, drawing a skewed brow out of his female comrade.

She was about to protest when Pītā narrowed his chocolate coloured eyes, as if waiting for something. That something came all right, in the unexpected form of Naruto tripping and hitting the concrete surface of the floor, hard. Sakura wasn't sure what had happened, but judging by the look on his face, Pītā had seen something she hadn't been able to catch.

He smirked beneath his mask, having managed to see Kankurō remove a hand from one of his pockets and move his fingers in such a way that it practically screamed 'secret weapon'. "Stop! It hurts!" Konohamaru cried out, desperately clawing at his attacker's hand.

Kankurō didn't seem impressed, glancing from the shrimp in his grip to the orange and blue wimp, just about managing to hop up off the floor. "If this is all your village has to offer, I'm not worried." He mocked, eyes closed and an amused smile present on his purple lips.

Sakura wasn't sure what to do, the ninja in front of them didn't seem like push overs. "How're we supposed to stop this before it gets out of hand?" She queried, her brain scrambling for an answer as she turned to the spider beside her.

She raised her eyebrows when Pītā rolled his shoulder, as if limbering up for something. "Don't worry about it, I've got this." He replied, an air of confidence to his tone that set the girl at ease.

It meant he was going to do something, had possibly devised a plan in that crazy head of his or was going to rush head first into a scrap just for the sake of a scrap. "I tip my non-existent hat to you, dude, you've managed to strong arm a two year old." He cocked a hand, his two index fingers tapping his palm.

A strand of silver silk bolted out, catching Konohamaru by the back. With one quick motion, a simple flourish of the wrist, Pītā yanked the kid out of Kankurō's grasp, Leaf overpowering Sand effortlessly. Not for a lack of trying, the visiting Shinobi had tried to keep his fingers wrapped around the child's scarf, but he felt the force of the pull, felt something stronger than him take the kid from him.

Now, in the grasp of a different ninja, Konohamaru still continued to struggle. "Let me go, you big jerk!" He whined, his legs kicking around in mid-air.

Pītā's eyebrows shot up, holding the child up with one hand by the back of his scarf. "Have you learned nothing?" He simply asked, before lowering the child to the floor.

Safe at last, Konohamaru darted right for Naruto, hiding behind the boy's legs. "I don't like this guy, Temari." Kankurō muttered, attempting to save face as he glared at the kid dressed in red and blue.

The aptly titled Temari on the other hand, was gazing at the boy in interest. "I don't know, Kankurō. There's something different about this one, he's a little… mysterious." A light blush found its way to the teenager's cheeks, the corner of her lips turning up into a smile.

"Ugh… give it a rest," the boy replied to his sister, it seemed anyone that proved a competent ninja tickled her fancy.

But he narrowed his eyes at the rookie ninja, because Temari was right, there was something different about him. "So… what, you get your jollies by picking on the vertically challenged? Why don't you try and pick on someone who can fight back?" Pītā challenged, arching an eyebrow as he cracked his knuckles.

Kankurō frowned; the kid was itching for a fight. "You've got a lot of attitude for a punk rookie, kid. I think it's about time someone put you in your place," the Sand Genin boasted, before he reached over his shoulder to retrieve the large bandaged item on his back.

The wrappings, encasing the thing almost like a mummy, spiralled off as Kankurō brought the 'secret weapon' out in front of him, brandishing it menacingly. "You can't be serious? You're gonna use the Crow on one kid? Just because he bad mouthed you?" Temari backed off, eyes wide as her brother prepared himself for a bout.

Pītā smirked, he had no idea what was under those wrappings but he honestly didn't care, he was ready to knock the guy into next week. Until his spider-sense nudged the back of his skull, forcing his eyes to leave the black garbed teen ahead of him and redirect them to a nearby tree. Yet another figure, another Sand ninja by the looks of him, stood on the underside of one of the tree's many branches.

The first thing that Pītā noticed was the short, messy, fiery red hair. The second thing that Pītā noticed was the complete lack of interest in him, with tanuki-like black rings outlining his pale green eyes, a tell-tale sign of insomnia. The lad wore a black body suit, t-shirt-like sleeves and almost full length leggings. A long white sash wound its way around his body, slung over his shoulder precariously.

It covered a brown leather band which was strapped around his left shoulder, snaking its way to his right hip. Pītā guessed that it must have been the thing keeping the massive sand gourd on his back, a running theme with the three Sand Siblings. The kanji for 'love' was etched into the kid's pale forehead, red in colour and raising some serious questions in the meantime.

Like, who the hell did that to him?

Or, had he done it himself?

Pītā wasn't sure which answer was best, so he chose to throw it out of his mind for the time being. "Kankurō, why am I not surprised?" The boy rhetorically asked, in such a quiet but chilling tone that it put all those present on edge.

His presence, folding his arms as he looked disapprovingly at his brother, seemed to alarm the otherwise headstrong kid. "Gaara, I—I didn't see you there." Kankurō stammered, apparently afraid of the newcomer.

Pītā wasn't sure why, but his spider-sense wouldn't stop buzzing either. "Welcome to the party, pal." He dryly greeted, straightening out of the loose stance he'd found himself in.

Gaara, which was the kid's name apparently, slowly turned his head to gaze upon Pītā, the boy appearing upside down to him. He didn't seem particularly impressed, his expression so vague he might've rivalled Kakashi as the king of disinterest.

Things were tense for a moment, as both Sand Genin and Leaf Genin, along with the pre-schoolers, watched Gaara seemingly study Pītā. "I know how this looks, but if you just let me explain, then you'd know that these guys challenged us." Kankurō attempted to appease his little brother, his previously cocky and cocksure voice speeding up in what could only be described as fear.

Pītā scoffed, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he glanced back at the face painted ninja. "Jeez, grow a spine, dude. A second ago you were telling me how you were gonna kick my butt, now you're practically sweating. Kankurō? More like Kiyoko," he ridiculed, throwing out his fist for Naruto to bump.

Which he totally did, laughing at the bully's expense. "Good one," he commended through the bout of joy, earning daggers from Kankurō.

Gaara watched the back and forth, but he was no idiot. He knew exactly what had happened, his older brother had once again deemed it necessary to embarrass them, make them out to be nothing more than schoolyard bullies who had nothing better to do than to pummel children. It was laughable, it was inexcusable, and it practically made his blood boil.

"You're an embarrassment to our village," Gaara stated, with such finality and subtle spite that Kankurō didn't dare argue with him on the matter.

Instead, he simply put whatever 'the Crow' was back on his back and backed off. "You're right; I was totally out of line… I'm sorry." Kankurō spouted an apology, and to the Leaf Genin's surprise, it actually sounded sincere.

It obviously wasn't for their benefit, more to save his own skin, but it still caught them off-guard. "I'm sorry for any trouble he caused; I can assure you that it won't happen again." Gaara was the one to formally apologize, something which did not sound right coming out of his mouth.

Team 7 glanced at one another, Naruto, Sakura and Pītā's eyes meeting for a moment before they decided to take the high road. "You weren't hurt, were you, Konohamaru?" Naruto questioned the boy, concern evident in his voice.

Konohamaru puffed up his chest, absolutely refusing to look weak in the presence of his idol. "No way, boss! I'm just as tough as you are!" He claimed, throwing a tiny thumbs up the blonde's way.

Naruto grinned in response, before turning to Gaara once again. "I guess it's okay then," he forgave, content that nobody was hurt in the little incident.

Sakura bowed in gratitude, the boy didn't have to go out of his way to stop things before they'd spiralled out of control. "We appreciate you cutting in," she expressed politely, coming out of her bow to turn her head towards Pītā.

The brunette shrugged, he was still a little weary of the Sand Shinobi. "Gaara, was it? You should learn to keep your boy over there on a very short leash, just saying." The Shukeikō heir dryly stated, drawing a severe eye twitch out of Sakura.

Temari and Kankurō both freeze up, eyes wide and unsure what was going to happen next. They'd never heard anyone address Gaara with such flippant attention, with such abrasive disrespect before. Well, they had actually. But it had ended the exact same gruesome way it always ended when someone disrespected Gaara, he'd kill them.

Quite quickly and quite brutally too…

Gaara set his jaw, it had taken a lot for him to admit fault and apologize and this boy, the one in the red and blue, had practically thrown it back in his face. Once again, it was silent for a moment, with nothing but a soft wind interrupting said silence as it breezed through the alleyway. Finally, Gaara moved, intriguing everyone present when he disappeared in a swirling show of sand.

It was a neat trick; Pītā had to admit but watched as the redheaded teen suddenly reappeared in front of his siblings, sand once again dissipating around him. "We're leaving," he shortly said, earning two swift nods from both his brother and sister.

Now that he was on level ground with everyone else, Pītā recognized the kid was shorter than his siblings and must have been closer to his age. They set off in the opposite direction, their backs turned to the Leaf they'd engaged.

"Ohh, someone's cranky." Pītā jested, loud enough for Gaara to hear and he did it knowingly too.

Sakura gritted her teeth; she wanted to kill her motor mouth teammate right then and there. "Can you just drop it already?! They're leaving!" She yelled at him, balling her fists and narrowing her green eyes at him.

Pītā raised his hands, attempting to dispel the girl's anger. "In my defence, I didn't want to drop it." He told her point blank, drawing an incredulous look out of his teammate.

Gaara halted in his steps, causing his two siblings to follow shortly after. "You had to push it, didn't you?!" Sakura scolded, her voice a harsh whisper as the Sand ninja turned on their heels to face them once more.

It seemed that Pītā's little comment had willed Gaara to stick around a little longer, serving its desired effect. "You, the red and blue one, what's your name?" The redheaded twelve year old requested, prompting Pītā to mimic him and fold his arms.

"Pītā Pākā," he granted the lad his name, surprising his friends by not following it up with some kind of snarky comment.

Gaara remained as stoic as ever, his subdued curiosity having been finally sated. "Pākā… as in, Pākā of the Shukeikō-Clan? Strange, I thought you were an extinct breed." He mused, prompting the spider to shrug in response.

Pītā didn't like talking about his clan, didn't like talking about his heritage or history, namely because he knew virtually nothing about it. "Endangered, not extinct." He hit back, his jovial tone of silliness and hilarity being replaced by something much more level and serious.

Gaara nodded, apparently his clan held some notoriety in the Sand Village. "Maybe that's why you make your childish little jokes, to make yourself laugh, to make others laugh so you can feel secure about your existence. But at the end of the day, your existence means nothing, because you're the last of a dead, obsolete race." He spat venomously, causing Pītā's breath to hitch in his throat as his eyes widened.

He'd never felt so insulted, so outraged and full of anger in his entire life. "And that must kill you inside," Gaara finished, not even finding satisfaction in his berating of the boy.

Pītā's fists balled and he stepped forward, a dangerous look in his eyes as he stared Gaara down. "Pītā," a soft hand found his shoulder, a hand that would have been unable to stop him in his tracks had he decided to progress.

But the brunette chose to stop, the building emotions within him almost at boiling point. "It's not worth it," Sakura's soft voice sounded, her eyebrows knotted together in anticipation.

Because she knew that there was nothing she could have done to stop him, physically anyway. It was easy to forget just how strong Pītā was, and how terrifying the power he held could be when employed in certain ways. She'd seen him crush boulders with his bare hands; she'd watched him rip a pine tree in half like it was a damn tooth pick.

She didn't know what Gaara was capable of, just that he felt confident enough to insult a spider. "Be the bigger person," but she knew what Pītā was capable of, and that scared her.

They watched as the Sand Siblings left, having gotten in the last word. "That's what I thought," Gaara muttered, stalking off with Temari and Kankurō in tow.

Though, Temari felt as though she couldn't leave without offering a wave to a visibly tense and rigid Pītā. "What a complete jerk! Who the heck does he think he is talking to Pītā like that?!" Naruto bellowed after them but it was far too late, they'd leapt away.

Pītā turned around, standing face to slightly shorter face with Sakura as Naruto fumed. "It's all right, man. It was my fault, I was practically asking for that. You're right, Sakura, sometimes I just don't know when to stop." The spider spoke honestly, he'd insulted Gaara and Gaara had insulted him right back.

But Sakura still couldn't help but frown, even if he had owned up to his own shortcomings. Because she could see it in his eyes, how hurt he was. Naruto and Pītā never talked about their parents, because it was a touchy subject. They'd both lost theirs but had never known them, and they acted as though it wasn't a big deal.

But Pītā held his powers and the responsibility that came with them very close to his heart, because they were important to him, his people's history was important to him. And to have that sullied and spat on right in front of him, Sakura saw that it had pushed a particular button.

She saw the frustration in his soft brown eyes, the build-up of unbridled anger behind his friendly demeanour. And she saw him push it down deep, swallow his emotions because if he let them out, he would've done some serious property damage.

She touched his arm as he bowed his head slightly, his eyebrows furrowed and thoughts racing through his mind at unprecedented speeds. "Listen, what Gaara said… you know that's not true, right? Your people were highly respected, Pītā. There's a reason they teach what's left of your clan's history at the Academy, because they mattered to Konoha." Sakura tried to cheer him up, offering a shaky smile as his brown eyes finally found her green ones.

"You matter to Konoha, Pītā." The Kunoichi told him; with such sincerity that Pītā couldn't help but believe it.

He shook his head, a grateful smile cracking his veil of sadness. "You're gonna make me blush," he muttered, a vibrancy returning to those humorous eyes of his.

The response made Sakura smile, because it was such a Pītā Pākā thing to say. "So… you okay?" She double checked, earning a confident nod out of the boy.

"You're sure?" She once again pestered him, earning a shake of the head from the lad.

She could already see the grin forming on his face, even beneath that dark blue mask of his, as if it could be replaced by anything else. "No, we've been over this, I'm Pītā." The spider joked, pressing both hands to his chest to accentuate his point.

The girl rolled her eyes, but couldn't help but feel relieved. "You're such a dork," she didn't like seeing him so quiet and dejected, it was like seeing Naruto upset, it just didn't make any sense.

He elbowed her arm as gently as he could manage, finding himself in high spirits once more. "And don't you forget it," he played along; being called a dork wasn't the worst thing in the world.

Sakura pushed him back, finding herself so comfortably at ease with the boy. "Naruto, how're your little friends? They okay?" She expressed marginal concern, it had been her fault Konohamaru had barged into Kankurō in the first place.

Naruto had been so preoccupied with the kids in question that he'd almost missed Sakura's voice, but he looked over at her and threw up a thumbs up. "Tough as nails, every last one of them. Right, guys?" He ushered, beaming like a jovial idiot.

"Right, boss!" A chorus of ecstatic, adolescent voices was his immediate reply.

Pītā whistled, a small and quick one to demand the attention of his teammates. "So… training, anyone?" He reminded the pair, the entire reason they'd been left alone by Kakashi-Sensei.

Sakura and Naruto glanced at one another, emerald green meeting ocean blue as they too realized this. "Man, I almost forgot! We were supposed to be training today!" He yelled, as if it had been his fault the thought had slipped his mind.

The thought had slipped everyone's minds; they'd been so preoccupied with squaring off against the Sand Ninja after all. "Keep your headband on, Naruto. It isn't nightfall yet, we've still got plenty of time to work on our skills." Sakura appeased the lad, who offered a sheepish smile in response.

He shrugged, laughing at himself. "Right… sorry," he mumbled, before he felt a tug on the sleeve of his orange and blue jacket.

It was Konohamaru, staring up at him with those innocent puppy dog eyes. "Can we come too, boss? We'll try not to distract you, honest!" He pleaded, desperate to see his idol in action, even if it was training.

"Uhh…" Naruto trailed off, unsure what to say when he looked for help in the form of Pītā and Sakura.

He didn't mind bringing them along, they were just kids after all and some of the few people that didn't think he was completely lame. "You don't have to ask for our permission, Naruto." Sakura advised, while Pītā simply offered his go-to response.

He shrugged; he wasn't necessarily bothered either way. "Sure, it'd be a great chance for you to see just how strong I've gotten!" Naruto boasted, leading the small trio of his number one fans into a march.

They marched right out of the alley, Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi all following after Naruto, movement for exact movement. Sakura and Pītā watched them disappear from view, the comedian stuffing his hands into his pockets as the Kunoichi held her own behind her back, her fingers fidgeting together in minute insecurity.

They glanced at one another, green eyes fixed on brown for a brief, fleeting second. "Thanks," Pītā murmured, the single word leaving his mouth was enough to gauge a nod out of the smaller girl.

She didn't need to say anything; she knew he was being sincere. Their eyes broke contact, before the pair set off at their own leisurely pace, walking in tandem out of the empty alleyway, in the wake of their third hyperactive teammate.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** There you have it; things have been set into motion. First appearance of Orochimaru, which I was nervous as hell about writing since he's such a complex and intricate villain, I hope I did the character justice. First appearance of a Spider-Man rogue, although in an unofficial capacity, more of a cameo than anything else. But you'll see more of him, as he works for Orochimaru.

The Sand Siblings arrived in Konoha, and Team 7 will find out why next chapter as Kakashi submits them for the Chūnin Exams! Oh and I thought I should mention it, Pītā's rather short-tempered, isn't he?

P.S. If you find yourself confused by my use of the word Shinin, in reference to the legendary ninja, it's because I added another ninja to the original three and couldn't call them Sanin anymore. Sanin literally translates to three ninja, so Shinin translates to four ninja. Just thought I'd give you guys a heads up, I don't want anyone getting too lost.

 **Guest Reviews:**

 **DocKucCRO:** The thing about Pītā's mask is, it's like a clan tradition. Like, it's considered sort of a faux pas for a spider to remove his mask in public. Again, it's an incredibly old custom, just like the secrecy surrounding the spider-sense is but Pītā's holding onto it because he wants to feel closer to his deceased people. Eventually, he will move on and take the mask off, but it won't be until much later in the story.

As for the symbiote, I have some plans for it. It might resemble an unstable Tailed Beast transformation but it won't be a Tailed Beast, it'll be its own separate thing. And for the fourth Shinin, I chose Julia Carpenter. She becomes Madame Web in the comics and begins to teach Peter a few things and I wanted to emulate that relationship, like a teacher and a student. Thanks for the suggestions though, I appreciate it!

 **Guest1:** The answer to your question is right at the start of this chapter, there was a scorpion clan that hated the spiders but both have since died out. Pītā's alive, will there be one last scorpion left standing somewhere? Who knows? The flash in Pītā's eyes is a secret; if you can guess it, good on you but I'm not going to explicitly state what it is. The history of Pītā's clan will be revealed bit by bit, where's the intrigue if it's all dumped onto one page? Yes, they were very formidable warriors but even the strongest aren't infallible. Remember, they were Spider-Men and Women, not Supermen and Women. Thanks for the review!

 **atom king:** Wait and see, it might very well be a mix of both, traditional and totally out there. As for the ending, well, that's a ways off, man. I'm not sure where Pītā will be when this story ends, I have a pretty good idea but again, this story is in its infancy. Thanks for the review!

 **Tiger 5:** You and the king above you :P I'm kidding, I don't know who will end up with who, it's a long way out yet. Thanks for the review!

 **Aztec 13:** I'm sensing a theme here... I'll tell you what I told the two guys above you, I don't know yet. We'll see, it's up in the air at the moment. Right now, the story's in its early stages so there's room to make a lot of pairings work. Just because I might be setting something up, doesn't mean it can't change. Thanks for the review!

 **The Guest:** That's not a bad idea but Lightning Style is what Kakashi teaches to Sasuke, the Chidori becomes Sasuke's thing, you know? It'd be like Pītā learning the Rasengan, it's Naruto's thing. Pītā will learn his own stuff, they might not be as iconic or powerful, but Spidey's a character that has always had to make do with what he has and you'll see that come into play. Thanks for the review!

 **Guest2:** You're right on the money there; it's just not Spider-Man without a dash of scientific know-how. Pītā will definitely be using his brain instead of his fists in some fights, it's what he does. You're right about Sakura too, but that's not me, that's canon. At the start of the series, she doesn't contribute much but she really starts to come into her own later on in the story and you'll see what drives her to get stronger.

As for the curious case of the missing YJ stories, I wasn't happy with them so I took them down. It's just the way I am, I'm very judgmental when it comes to my own work, so I strive to make it the best that it can be. I might put them up again in the future but for now, they're staying locked away in a folder on my computer. Sorry :S

 **Great Saiyaman54:** That's certainly an idea and you're right, it could definitely work but I've made a very conscious decision to not include Carnage or any other symbiote besides Venom at the risk of being a little bit too ambitious. For now, it's just Venom who will be appearing at some point. Thanks for the review!

 **coldblue:** 1) You never know, there's always room to experiment and Pītā may very well want to get creative with his webbing, so I'm certainly open to the idea.

2) While a signature weapon would be a cool thought, I feel like something like the ones you suggested appear a little too lethal for Pītā. At some point down the line, Pītā will receive much more offensively capable weapons, so I do have a plan for that but they won't be blades or anything like that.

3) You know, I won't give it up but I think you've covered it with all three of your guesses. It's sort of a combination of the three, and it's a dark stain on the history of the Shukeikō-Clan. That's all I'm saying.

4) You'll be seeing Zabuza and Haku much sooner than the time skip, at some point during the exam arc actually. Why? I'll never tell :P

5) Maybe. As I've said before, anything's on the table right now for Pītā but they'll be more focus on other aspects of his skill set rather than Medical Jutsu, that's more Sakura's thing and it makes her a very important member of the team.

6) I've got his preliminary fight and exam finals fight figured out, it ought to be a nice surprise when we get to them. The roster of exam participants that I'm using does balance out and there is an opponent for everyone so a three way fight isn't going to happen, but you're right, that could've been an interesting fight.

Once again, thanks for the review and all of your suggestions and ideas, they were a joy to read!


	8. Rookies, Paper, Scissors

**Author's Note:** Been working on this one for quite some time, kept getting side-tracked by a couple of other projects and stories I'm working on but I finally got it finished. I won't ramble on and bore you, but I hope you enjoy the chapter. Thanks for being patient, guys!

 **Disclaimer:** Spider-Man and all related characters are owned by Marvel and in turn, Disney. Naruto and all related characters are owned by Masashi Kishimoto, I own nothing.

* * *

 **Rookie, Paper, Scissors (Chūnin Exams Arc)**

It was early morning, so early in fact that the sky had just begun to leave behind its light, hazy orange colour and turn into a more whimsical blue. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third and acting Hokage of Konohagakure, the Village Hidden in the Leaves, had awakened a little earlier than usual. He was an elderly man, despite his rank and prestige; he still needed all the rest he could get.

His premature awakening came about due to a small meeting he'd arranged, a meeting between himself and the many Jōnin of his fine village. He hadn't yet made it to his office in the Academy building, so instead opted to host it at his residence, a great building that had been called home by every ruling Hokage since the First, sans the Fourth.

Hiruzen sat in his secondary office, behind his desk and fully dressed in his usual attire. His tired eyes carefully studied each and every veteran of the Leaf in front of him, the room large enough to house them all. But he was drawn to four in particular, the four sensei of the most recent graduating rookies. Kakashi Hatake, Kurenai Yūhi, Genma Shiranui and the Hokage's son, Asuma Sarutobi.

The man didn't play favourites, but he couldn't deny that he was proud of his son for reaching such a position. It was viewed differently, just as everything was, by many different ninja but being a sensei carried an overwhelming responsibility. A responsibility to the village, to the children a sensei would be guiding into adulthood and a responsibility to themselves. They had to prove that they were worthy of taking charge of a child's life, and so far, Asuma had yet to disappoint him.

Hiding beneath the shadow cast over his worn features, courtesy of his triangular headwear, his eyes drifted towards Kurenai. The man was no fool, he noticed the fleeting yet anxious glance she would bestow upon his son every now and then. And then curiously, the way Asuma would side-eye her and simply wink.

Hiruzen wondered, how long had that been going on?

"You all know why I've called you here, do you not?" The leader of the Leaf questioned, adding a little bass to his otherwise hoarse voice to demand a little attention.

The man received it in spades, devout nods sent his way and unwavering eyes fixed on his person. "Very good, very good. Now, before I get to the rest of you, I'd like to address those in charge of the rookie Genin. Please, step forward and be heard." Hiruzen ordered, placing his hands together and resting his chin on his fingertips.

The four sensei did just that, with Kakashi, Kurenai, Genma and Asuma taking a few steady paces forward in tandem. "There are some technicalities involved, but ultimately, it falls solely to you four. Is there any student in each of your respective squads that you'd like to submit for the Chūnin selection exams? Go ahead, surprise me." Hiruzen dared, sporting an amused smirk as he sat back and waited for them to answer.

He'd already discussed things with Kakashi ahead of time, something that wasn't exactly permitted but he'd only done so because of the fragility of Naruto's particular situation. Other than that, he was just as clueless as everyone else in the room. Might Guy, the famed Taijutsu specialist, stood in line with the other Jōnin, waiting with baited breath to see what would happen.

Though, those who knew him, really knew him, knew full well that he was waiting for Kakashi to speak. It was odd, to say the least. The two of them couldn't have been more different from one another; they were like night and day incarnate.

Kakashi, the ever cool, ever collected, strong and silent type. Guy, the somewhat obnoxious, totally over the top type, who seemed to be obsessed with the Power of Youth. They couldn't have looked any different from one another either, with Kakashi representing the personification of subtle style and mystery to many. Guy on the other hand, with his ridiculously shiny black bowl haircut, and way too tight green spandex jumpsuit, represented something else entirely.

Though, despite all of those differences and contradictions, reasons why the two of them should not have been friends, the duo were surprisingly close. Kakashi was all head with only a sliver of heart, but Guy had one of the biggest hearts he'd known, with not too much going on upstairs. Regardless, they challenged one another frequently… well; mostly Guy challenged Kakashi to insane contests of strength, endurance, speed and agility.

And then sometimes, they just played rock, paper, scissors with each other. You know, important stuff like that.

Kakashi took point, he wasn't afraid to announce his decision. "I lead Team 7; members include Naruto Uzumaki, Sakura Haruno and Pītā Pākā. I, Kakashi Hatake, select all three of these Genin for the Chūnin Exams." He droned, drawing a few murmurs out of the crowd of ninja over his shoulder.

Chief among them, Iruka. As the rookies' former sensei, Iruka felt particularly attached to them but none more so than Naruto. As such, he felt he knew every little thing about them. Their skills, personalities, strengths, weaknesses and in his own personal opinion, he didn't feel any of them were ready for the exams.

Still, he held his tongue and chose to wait as Kurenai spoke next. "I, Kurenai Yūhi, recommend all three members of Team 8. Hinata Hyūga, Kiba Inuzuka and Shino Aburame." The sensei, with her pitch black hair and piercing red eyes, stated confidently.

Before the crowd had yet another chance to gasp and talk amongst themselves, Asuma followed up. "My squad is number ten, Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara and Chōji Akimichi. Now I, Asuma Sarutobi, recommend all three." The man finished, a cigarette hanging loosely from his mouth.

Genma decided to address the Hokage last, he was in no rush. "I lead Team 9, Sasuke Uchiha, Sai Toriyama and Yakumo Kurama. As their sensei, I, Genma Shiranui, select them for the Chūnin selection exams." The man finished, resulting in a bout of murmurs and gasps from the crowd behind the sensei.

It was practically unheard of, Academy rookies being chosen so soon in their ninja career. The Chūnin Exams was no laughing matter, it was a test that pushed Genin to their very limits and tested them in just about every aspect of the ninja art. Usually, selected students had to have the experience to even be considered but it seemed that Kakashi, Kurenai, Genma and Asuma held much faith in their pupils.

Iruka didn't know what to make of it, but he wasn't thrilled about the idea. "Hold on!" He called out, stepping forward without permission and pushing past the few ninja blocking his path.

One Anko Mitarashi side stepped in order to allow him to get through, but kept her keen purple eyes trained on Iruka as he attempted to state his case. "What is it, Iruka?" Hiruzen, the leader of the Leaf replied, letting the fact that the man was speaking out of term slide for the time being.

Iruka, clearly agitated, nodded as he continued. "The twelve students that were just called out, they were my students back at the Academy. I taught them, I got to know them for years and I know that each and every one of them shows great promise. But the Chūnin Exams are still out of reach for these kids, they don't have the necessary experience, the proper skills, to even stand a chance." The tanned brunette, a scar running across the bridge of his nose, appealed.

Kakashi had to supress a laboured roll of the eyes, he'd been expecting Iruka to speak up and say something. "It's understandable that you'd be concerned about this, Iruka. I haven't even spent a year with my kids yet and I'm already attached to them, you watched them grow up and I respect that. But if anything, you've just insulted each and every one of them." The Jōnin calmly responded, prompting Iruka to set his jaw.

Kurenai, Genma and Asuma chose to hold their tongues for the moment and Hiruzen decided to let the little debate play out. "How so?" Iruka grudgingly hit back, a little flustered that he was getting so upset while Kakashi remained as stoic as ever.

"I was ten years old when I became a Chūnin, half the age of those rookies." Kakashi pointed out, hoping that Iruka would see sense.

In truth, the Academy instructor felt frustrated by the man's lack of emotion and use of logic. "They're nothing like you! They're not ready to kill or be killed yet! Why are you trying to take their childhood away from them?!" Iruka yelled back, balling his fists as Kakashi refused to get angry about the matter.

A hand rested upon the Shinobi's shoulder and he turned to find Anko grinning at him, wearing the same ridiculously revealing outfit she always wore. "So a bunch of kids take the exam, get a little roughed up and tap out, what's the big deal?" She queried, failing to understand why he was getting so upset.

Kurenai had to hold the bridge of her nose; Anko wasn't exactly the best person to help matters with such fragility. "Anko, just stay out of it." She told the woman, not quite a fully ranking Jōnin just yet.

The purple haired proctor shrugged, taking her hand off of Iruka's tense as hell frame. "How can I? I'm one of the proctor's after all; I'm supposed to give those kids the experience of a lifetime. Whether it's a good experience or a bad one, well, that's up to them." Anko reasoned, resulting in a few shakes of the head from those around her.

"My team's already been exposed to the real world beyond these walls; they've seen death, hopelessness and depression. It didn't change them, if anything, it made them stronger, more resolved. They want to progress, as the rest of the rookies do, I'm sure. In order for them to do that, they need to be pushed. This isn't a game, Iruka. This is their job, their very life. Who are we to deny them of that?" Kakashi argued, almost silencing Iruka on the matter.

Yet the man persisted, confident that he knew each and every one of his students better than Kakashi did. "Even if I were to believe that Sasuke or Pītā or any of the other stronger candidates were ready for the exam, there's no way the others are. Sakura, Hinata, they're both brilliant but they lack the raw physicality that the others have. Shikamaru's a genius but he's too much of a slacker to really make a difference, it'd be best to simply wait a year or two before exposing them to the exams." Iruka evaluated, drawing the ire of both Asuma and Kurenai, at the very mention of their students.

"As hard as this might be for you, Iruka, I agree with Kakashi. I've worked with my kids, trained them to the best of my ability and will continue to do so until they no longer need me. Hinata isn't as fragile as she appears; in fact, I bet she could even give Neji a run for his money." The red eyed Kunoichi claimed, the proud tone in her voice evident from the get go.

Hiruzen closed his eyes for a moment, letting everything unfold. "Here we go," he muttered, just as yet another Jōnin pushed his way to the front of the crowd.

Guy wasn't amused, the mere idea of Kurenai proposing that her student was better than one of his alien to him. "Now wait just a minute, Kurenai! Neji hasn't lost a fight yet, what makes you think he'd lose to his younger cousin? He's faster, stronger, and infinitely more skilled. I know this because, hey, I trained him after all." The man, with his garishly green uniform, beamed as he prodded a thumb to his chest.

Kakashi sighed; he thought they'd been discussing things, not arguing which of their students were better. "You are so full of yourself, you know that?" Kurenai shot back, surprising Kakashi and earning a quiet chuckle out of Asuma.

Genma decided to simply stay quiet, smirking slightly as he enjoyed the madness. "I'm with Kurenai and Kakashi, there's more to our students than meets the eye. And Iruka, just for the record, Shikamaru isn't lazy. He simply hasn't found the proper motivation yet, something he will find under my tutelage." Asuma defended his student, the smartest kid he'd ever had the pleasure of meeting.

Iruka frowned; he was just looking out for the rookies. "And I didn't much appreciate the comment about Sakura, Iruka. While it's true that she doesn't have abilities like Pītā or out of the box thinking like Naruto, she has determination. The determination to get better, to follow the example set by her teammates. And she will get better; I'll make sure she does. But in order for her, not just her but all of our students to get better, we have to trust that they _can_ get better." Kakashi stepped away from the other rookie Jōnin, chancing a face-to-face discussion with Iruka.

The man bowed his head slightly, he'd let his emotions and personal feelings on the matter guide his words. "I meant no disrespect, Kakashi. Nor did I mean to insult any of your kids, Kurenai, Asuma. I just… it's just that I don't want to see them get hurt. I've been there since they were children, watching them grow and learn. Sometimes… sometimes you get a little attached to things, which sounds ridiculous in retrospect but—" He was rambling, his earlier aggression on the matter simply hiding how he really felt.

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask, he was finally getting through to him. "It's not ridiculous, it's perfectly natural. They talk about you from time to time, what you taught them, what values and wisdom you imparted. You were a big part of their lives, Iruka. Trust that we can take care of your kids, because what you said earlier is very true. They were your kids before they were ours, and we'll never forget it." The Shinobi placed a hand on the man's shoulder, his fellow Leaf ninja.

Iruka nodded, it was hard to accept but sometimes, letting go was the best thing to do. "If you think that they can do it, if you think they have a shot, then I… okay, I want to see them succeed." The brunette finally caved, earning a soft smile from Kurenai and a grateful nod from Asuma and Genma.

Anko's eyebrows shot up, a little impressed that Kakashi had managed to make the man see sense. "Quite a smooth talker, eh, Kakashi?" She smirked, hands on her shapely hips as the man simply winked at her in return.

Hiruzen straightened in his seat, having listened intently all throughout the short debate. "It's decided then, the twelve rookies shall compete in the exams, at the behest of their sensei. Thank you for providing your blessing, Iruka. As their former sensei, I'm sure you hold much stock in their future to this village." The Hokage spoke, clearly and concisely for all to hear.

Iruka simply nodded in silence, he'd said enough on the matter. "Hmm… now that that's settled, let's move on. Are there any other candidates that I should consider for the exams? Speak now, while you still can." Hiruzen ordered, his eyes zoning in on a mass of green.

Guy raised his hand, smiling proudly as it was now his time to shine. "Yes, Lord Hokage. I decided it best for my squad, Team 10, to sit last year's exams out as I felt they weren't quite ready yet. But not this year, this year I'm more than certain they can handle whatever's thrown at them." He went on, firmly shutting his weirdly large eyes and striking an odd pose.

Hiruzen had to resist the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose, instead motioning for the Taijutsu expert to continue. "Will there be a point to this any time soon?" The elder man, the eldest in the room actually, mocked.

"Of course, Lord Hokage. You all know me as Might Guy, leader of Team 10 and the Leaf's Noble Gentleman. My squad consists of Neji Hyūga, Rock Lee and Tenten Tanaka. And this year, I recommend all three of them for the Chūnin Exams." Guy finished, proudly submitting his students with a thumbs up, a wink and a smile, his typical 'nice guy pose'.

Hiruzen nodded, finally getting somewhere with everyone. "So it's done, the candidates for the Chūnin Exams have been selected. Let the games begin, wouldn't you say?" The practically ancient man cracked a smile, looking forward to the events to come.

* * *

Sakura winced as she crashed onto the ground, hard. Luckily, the ground in question was a riverside bank, plentiful in soft blades of grass and blooming flowers. She struggled to her hands and knees, sweat rolling down her forehead as the girl strained to see the blonde lad a few feet away from her.

Naruto had also been thumped to the ground, sitting on his backside as he nursed his head. "Up and at 'em, sparky." A voice urged the lad, to which Naruto growled before rising to his feet.

The ninja yelled, let out a war cry as he raised his fist and charged the source of the voice. Sakura hadn't seen what had happened, but heard several dull smacks before Naruto was sent careening to the grass once again. Sakura couldn't get up, they'd been at it for hours and she just couldn't find the strength to rise to her feet, only to be knocked back down, over and over again.

The Kunoichi had to commend Naruto though, despite the fact that he wasn't making a lick of progress, Naruto wouldn't stop getting back up. "This is… this is impossible," Sakura murmured to herself, her throat dry and body aching.

Once again, Naruto hopped to his feet but this time, raised his hands to perform a few familiar hand signs. "What did we go through this morning, whiskers? We're working on your Taijutsu, no Ninjutsu or Genjutsu for now. Drop the clone technique, come at me again." The voice advised, and Sakura watched as Naruto reluctantly halted his Shadow Clone Jutsu.

His chest was heaving, his little heart beating against it at a furious rate. "This isn't fair! You… you have powers! We don't!" Naruto aired his complaints, sprinting at their antagonist for the five hundredth time that morning.

It took around three seconds, tops, for Naruto to get knocked right back in the direction he came from, skidding across the grass on his back. "You're right, I do have the advantage. But so will a lot of other ninja in the world, nothing's ever fair. Besides, I promised to hold back a little and I always keep my promises." Sakura let herself slump to the floor before she rolled over onto her back, staring up at the sparse treetops above her.

Naruto tried to get up, but ultimately had to lie down for a while. They'd been sparing all morning, and noon was approaching fast. Even with his impressive endurance, which had surprised his opponent, he just couldn't keep at it for such a long, extended period of non-stop fighting. The reason for Naruto and Sakura's sore bodies and wounded egos was standing a few feet away, his arms folded as his chocolate brown eyes stared down at them.

"I think that's enough for now, we'll pick this back up tomorrow." Pītā informed his downed, exhausted teammates.

Sakura moaned, her small and lithe body banged and scraped all over. "Thank God…" whispered words escaped her lips and Pītā smirked, maybe he'd been a little too hard on them.

The spider fired off two web-lines in rapid succession, snagging two bottles of fresh water from the rooted base of a nearby tree. "Have a drink on me," he remarked, strolling over to the pair and handing them the water.

Naruto and Sakura struggled but eventually managed to sit up, taking the water willingly. "Thanks," they both muttered, before quenching their unbelievable thirst with crystal cool goodness.

Pītā nodded before taking his eyes off of his comrades and glancing around the patch of forest they found themselves in, the outer ring of plant life and nature, lying within the walls of Konoha. Several mock targets had been set up, peppered with kunai and shuriken, some had been shattered completely, hanging limply from tree branches overhead.

The red and blue ninja held out both of his hands, pulling both Naruto and Sakura back to their feet when they accepted the gesture. "Here," Sakura offered the spider, holding out her water right for the taking.

He raised a palm, but appreciated the sentiment. "Thanks but I'm not thirsty," Pītā excused, watching a fleeting frown appear and disappear on Sakura's lips.

Naruto on the other hand, gaped at his friend. "You're not even tired?!" He questioned, bewildered and wide eyed.

Pītā shrugged, his usual go-to response. "It takes a lot to make me sweat, buddy." He admitted, and it was nothing but the truth.

"Yeah, yeah, with your stupid spider-powers… there should be some kind of rule against that." Naruto muttered, leaving the conversation to take the weight off of his feet and sit in the shade of a tall oak tree.

Pītā arched an eyebrow, before glancing at Sakura, who was busy sipping her water out of the bottle. "Anyway… how about you, cherry blossom? You wanna go again?" He offered, though was turned down as Sakura weakly laughed.

She winced a little bit with each and every movement; she'd never been given such an extensive workout before. "Not right now, I'm still sore. But while I recover, maybe we should work on your Chakra control?" Sakura suggested, as he displayed the weakest control of the bunch of them.

Pītā nodded, he wasn't afraid to admit that he sucked at something. "Definitely, I can use all the help I can get. Shall we?" He offered a hand, cocking the thumb of his other one to the flowing stream over his shoulder.

Emerald green eyes studied the hand for a moment, a hand strong and durable enough to break solid Earth but ultimately shook her head. "In your dreams, bug boy." Sakura mocked, sauntering by him to reach the stream.

Pītā followed, chuckling lightly. "How the heck did you know?" He queried, he didn't know whether to be impressed or disheartened.

Sakura turned to him and prodded his very solid chest, eyebrows knitted into a furrow. "That you were gonna throw me into the river? Because it's such a you thing to do, Pītā Pākā." She scolded him, and he couldn't help but laugh.

"Hey, you looked like you could use a soak; I'm just being a considerate friend!" The brunette Shinobi defended, raising his palms with a hidden smirk.

Sakura's finger left his chest to point over at the stream's slightly flowing, crystal clear surface. "Save it," she sternly told him, prompting him to stand on the edge of the bank.

Pītā rolled his eyes, his practical joke having been spoiled. "I'm telling you, I'm no good at this stuff." He muttered, raising his hands to form a consistent hand sign.

Just like he had in the Land of Waves, when Kakashi-Sensei had attempted to teach him water walking in the first place, Pītā felt a wave of natural energy descend through his body. From the core of his chest, all the way to the soles of his feet. He took a deep breath, before exhaling and focusing. Taking a diligent step forward, Pītā's sandal clad foot pierced the threshold of naturally occurring liquid.

He felt the cool water grace his skin, before a dull thud lit up his senses and he saw that his foot had touched the shallow bank of the stream, a small but growing cloud of disturbed mud forming around his foot. Pītā's eyebrows knitted together, he was never going to get it.

"Told you… no good," Pītā mused, not bothering to take his eyes off of his submerged foot.

Sakura frowned; it was going to be much harder than she'd previously thought. "It's all right, Pītā, it's natural. Water walking is an advanced technique, Naruto and I don't even know how to do it yet. Though… I doubt there's much more to it than just reversing the effect of Chakra, instead of attracting, you simply—" she was cut off as Pītā piped up, surprised by how quickly she'd gotten the concept.

"Repel, got it in one." He commended, eyes now carefully studying her.

Sakura shrugged, a hint of colour on her cheeks as she shied away from the lad's gaze. "Only in theory, it's a whole different story in practice." She reasoned, and she was being wholly honest too.

Sakura had been one of the top students, not just in their class but in the Academy as a whole. But her prestige lied in theory, the study of techniques and how they were applied to real world situations, how they were implemented in battle. But when the time came to actually carry out said techniques, she'd always stumble and hit a road block.

Students like Sasuke Uchiha and Pītā Pākā had been among the top in the Academy for their combat skills, situational awareness and strategic way of thinking. Sasuke for his skill and impressive use of Fire Style Jutsu, something which was practically unheard of in Genin-level ninja. And Pītā for his unparalleled strength, speed, agility and sheer ferocity in the field of Taijutsu.

And there she was, teaching someone with vastly superior abilities to her own, like it was the most natural thing in the world. "Give it a shot then," Pītā urged, eager to see how she'd handle the technique.

Sakura's eyes found her teammate's eyes once more and she nodded, accepting the challenge he'd subtly set her. "We're supposed to be working on your control but… hey, I'm adventurous." She claimed, drawing a scoff out of the spider.

She ignored the wordless criticism and raised her hands, performing the same hand sign that Pītā had. "Here goes nothing," Sakura whispered, feeling a swell of energy surge through her before halting at her feet.

Pītā resisted the urge to push her into the stream; he figured it wasn't worth the risk of angering the beast within. "Take your time," he instead encouraged her, watching her take a slow, cautious step forward like he had earlier.

His eyebrows shot up as Sakura took another step, then another and another, until finally, she was standing in the middle of the stream with her eyes firmly shut. "How… how'd I do?" She diligently asked, scared to open her eyes but very aware that she hadn't felt the chilling touch of fresh water on her fair skin just yet

Instead of calling out to her, Pītā stepped out further into the water. Even at its deepest point, it still barely touched his knees; it was just a stream after all. "See for yourself," he spoke, the lower parts of his legs submerged while she stood deftly on the surface of the substance.

Green eyes fluttered open and a feminine voice gasped, Sakura lost her concentration as surprise hit her in waves. "OhmyGod! I did it, I actually did it! I didn't think I'd be able to do it, I mean, it was my first try after all and I didn't think I'd be that lucky a second time, I thought the tree climbing thing was just a fluke but—" Pītā gaped as the girl ran her mouth at an impressive rate, now knee deep in the water with him.

He held her steady as she latched onto his arms for no apparent reason, face lit up with pure glee. "Say words slower, Sakura." Pītā quipped, though felt a grin crack his initial reaction of bewilderment.

The girl flushed in embarrassment, she'd never been so proud of herself before. "Sorry, I just got… carried away. I mean, you saw that, right? You saw me walk on water? I'm not just imagining it?" Sakura gushed, stunning Pītā slightly.

Because he'd never seen that side of her, so full of joy and childish wonder. "I saw," he nodded along with her, causing the bashful smile on her face to widen into a beam.

And to Pītā's sheer surprise, she fist pumped the air in absolute triumph. "Kakashi-Sensei wasn't kidding; you're Chakra control is through the roof." He praised, noticing the girl's fair complexion light up considerably.

"He said that? Kakashi-Sensei said that about me?" Sakura pestered the lad, the respect and stock she held in her sensei's opinion clear from the tone of her voice.

Pītā was about to answer when he noticed a disturbance in the air, his ears twitched as his senses picked up the slow and rhythmic beating of another heart. It wasn't Naruto's; he was too busy cooling off ashore on the riverbank. Sakura's was beating at a much faster rate, making it easy to distinguish it from the new one that had cropped up on Pītā's radar.

A shadow suddenly loomed over Sakura and Pītā, dampening her celebratory spirit and providing an answer to his muddled thoughts. "I did, Sakura. And from the looks of things, my words were fairly spot-on. You've learned to water walk, haven't you?" Kakashi Hatake, standing on the surface of the water as he towered over his students, inquired with his hands stuffed into his pockets.

Overcoming the initial surprise of her teacher manifesting from nowhere, Sakura nodded meekly. "I—I have, sensei. I was trying to help Pītā pick it up but one thing led to another and… well…" she stumbled over her words, unsure why she was so nervous in the presence of a man she trusted with her very life.

Pītā noticed it, the trepidation, and the hesitance on her part. As if she'd done something wrong, learning the technique by trying to teach him, as if she'd taken something from him, stolen his thunder. The boy found it funny, found it… kind of cute actually. That she was afraid she'd done something wrong, simply by excelling in a field where he floundered.

Though, why he was floundering, he had no clue. He'd watched Sakura perform the technique and she'd done the exact same things he had, there must have been something he was missing, some piece of the puzzle that didn't quite fit for him.

Foregoing that thought pattern for a moment, the boy placed a gentle hand on the smaller girl's shoulder. "She's a natural, right? Nothing wrong with that," he defended her, offering her a wink when she looked his way.

A wink that wasn't tethered to his usually comedic actions, a wink that wasn't meant to annoy her or stoke the fires of her frustration. It was a wink that was meant to encourage her, and encourage her it did. Sakura politely smiled back, raising her head and blooming under Pītā's soft gaze.

"Nothing at all, Pītā. Just like you are a naturally adept fighter, and Naruto is naturally strong in Ninjutsu, Sakura's Chakra control is something she should be proud of. Do you understand me, Sakura? Take pride in what you're good at; don't hide your gift away from the world. What good would that do anyone?" Kakashi advised, smiling fondly as he looked down at her.

She tilted herself forward a little, her arms straightened at either side of her body as she aimed a small but grateful bow towards her mentor. "Thank you, sensei." The Kunoichi expressed, earning a nod in return.

Kakashi looked over his students with his single grey eye before gesturing with his hand, motioning for them to join him ashore. "Out of the stream, students. Don't want you catching another cold, Pītā, not if you're to take part in what I have planned for you." The Jōnin cryptically stated, catching his pupil's curiosity as they left the sparkling waters of the stream.

Their teacher halted underneath the base of the tree that Naruto had made his home, apparently being comfortable enough to decide to take a quick nap. "Naruto, on your feet, I have some important news for you all." Kakashi ordered, tapping the lad's leg with his own foot.

Naruto stirred for a moment, batting the leg away with tired eyes. "I'm… I'm up, I'm awake… alert and stuff…" he drawled, slowly climbing to his feet in a sleep drunk haze.

"I should hope so, because I have a new assignment for you all, something unlike anything you've ever done." The leader of Team 7 informed his students, two of them paying rapt attention and the other one fading in and out of consciousness.

Though, at the mention of a new prospective mission, Naruto stood at attention. "A mission?! All right, Kakashi-Sensei, now we're talking!" The young boy cheered, all previous exhaustion and fatigue vacating his little body.

The Jōnin raised his palms in an effort to calm the excitable boy down, a feat almost impossible with one like Naruto. "I use the term 'assignment' very loosely, Naruto." Kakashi explained, confusing the boy for a solid second.

He tilted his head, bluer than blue eyes squinted as if trying to see something in the distance. "Huh?" The blonde uttered, confusion wrought on his face as Sakura listened intently, just as she always did, and Pītā folded his arms.

Kakashi looked over his students, what each of them were doing, what sort of mannerisms they possessed. Sakura, staring up at him with those big green eyes, so expectant of greatness. It seemed that she looked up to him very fondly, and he was thankful for that, he admired respect in all its forms. Whether it was respect between comrades, between brothers or sisters, between a king and his subjects or in their case, between a student and their teacher.

But Kakashi wasn't perfect; he was still human just like she was, just like Naruto was, just like Pītā… well, he wasn't sure whether the boy was human. It made him think, severely side-tracked his initial thought process. Were spiders considered human? They certainly looked human; most of their genetic makeup had to be human, leaving the spider part of them in the minority.

Kakashi quickly shook his head, his mind starting to wonder to odd places. His point was that Sakura had to stop expecting so much of him; he was her teacher, not some infallible god among men. The veteran ninja's cold, grey eyes shifted their attention to the tallest of his students, Pītā, a lad who held much conviction and who, Kakashi could tell, was going to do great things.

And then there was the shortest of the bunch, though he was also the one often on the man's mind. Naruto, just like his teammates, was destined for greatness, the man was sure of it. And it wasn't just the proud babbling of an educator; the man simply had a deep feeling that he was going to see Naruto as someone important one day.

Perhaps… as Hokage, just like the boy's father before him?

Kakashi chuckled to himself, it was a pipedream then but someday, who knew?

The question Kakashi was trying to answer, trying to rationalize to himself was… were his kids ready to undertake the Chūnin Exams?

It was funny, how he doubted himself and his decision, when only a few hours earlier, just after the many sensei of the village had nominated their students; he'd been defending his pupils left and right from an unconvinced Iruka. It was new to him, to defend something so passionately; he hadn't felt so strongly about something in a long while.

"This all might seem a little fast and trust me; I've heard just about every single reason why I shouldn't do this. But I don't care about that, what I do care about is your future as ninja. Students, I've submitted all three of you for the Chūnin Exams." Kakashi revealed, stunning those in the know.

Which, predicatively, was Sakura and Pītā. "Whoa, whoa, hold the phone… you think we're ready for that, coach?" The red and blue spider made the 'time-out' gesture with his hands, drawing the arch of an eyebrow from his blonde friend.

Naruto didn't want to seem like he was out of the loop yet again, but he honestly had no idea what the exams were. "Chūnin Exams… is that some kind of test or something when a Genin wants to become a Chūnin?" The boy hazarded a guess, he'd rather have been wrong whilst at least trying.

Kakashi nodded, catching the lad off-guard. "Indeed it is, Naruto. The Chūnin Exams are a series of… well, exams, the clue's in the name. They're designed to test the toughest Genin-level ninja, push them to their absolute limits and whoever makes it through to the very end, is automatically promoted to the rank of Chūnin." He pointed out, watching his blue eyed student listen with intrigue.

Sakura raised a hand, as if she were still stuck in the classroom. "Sensei, isn't it possible for an examinee to become a Chūnin without actually completing the entire thing?" She queried, having read a few things about the event but preferred to hear it from someone she trusted rather than a dusty old book.

Once again, Kakashi was pleased that his students weren't completely clueless on the matter. "Yes, Sakura. But only those who show exceptional qualities, the qualities that are most valued in Chūnin-rank ninja. And even then, it's up to the Kage of each respective village to approve of the promotion. I'm not going to lie, this won't be a walk in the park but then again… that wouldn't be very fun now, would it?" The Jōnin jested, encouraging eager nods out of Naruto and Pītā.

Sakura followed shortly after, all excitement draining from her face as she forced a rather unconvincing smile. "Can't wait," she murmured, accepting a small piece of paper from her teacher.

Kakashi handed the remaining two out to his male students, watching them study every scrap of information on said pieces of paper. "They're application forms, for each of you to make up your mind and submit them when its time." Their elder explained, drawing a curious gaze out of the girl with the pink hair.

Sakura almost felt a little relieved, the Chūnin Exams weren't mandatory like she'd previously thought. "So… it's up to us to decide whether we want to take part?" The twelve year old asked, and Kakashi immediately picked up on the hesitance in her voice.

In fact, he'd been expecting it. "That's right; nobody's going to force you. If you don't think you're ready for this, then it's entirely your decision. I don't want you rushing headfirst into something you won't be able to handle, so I need you to be absolutely certain that you can manage this." The former ANBU captain made sure he was understood, he didn't want to give off any mixed signals.

His cautionary words didn't seem to faze the headstrong Naruto or the cocksure Pītā, but Sakura was timidly scanning her application form in silence. Kakashi had to hold his tongue; it was at times like this that he wanted to say something, anything to set the girl at ease. But he wasn't her father, he was her teacher and she was at the age where she needed to start making hard decisions for herself.

She had potential, she had so much potential. But with a jinchūriki and a spider on her team, potential was only going to get her so far. Sakura needed to stop doubting her own abilities, and Kakashi was very aware of this. So he backed off, kept his distance from his kids and had to trust in their choices and abilities.

"In case any of you decide that you're not ready, the exams are a bi-annual thing. You can simply wait until the next set of exams, when you've gotten stronger, faster, more sure of yourself." Kakashi added, he didn't want Sakura to feel pressured into doing anything just because of her teammates.

Naruto and Pītā were both the pressuring type, so it was understandable. "No way I'm waiting 'til next year! I am so there, Kakashi-Sensei!" The blonde of the bunch cheered, darting forward to tackle his teacher and envelop him in an unwanted hug.

Kakashi blankly stared down at the boy, who had decided to rest his chin against his flak jacket and grin up at his teacher. "I'm not the hugging type, Naruto." He calmly expressed, removing his hands from his pockets to pry the affectionate boy off of him.

Pītā scoffed, stuffing a hand into his pants pocket while he nudged Sakura with an elbow. "Get out… you? Not the hugging type? But you look so warm and fuzzy," the boy mocked, unable to shake his female friend from her worried stupor.

The little joke did nothing to change Kakashi's trademark half-lidded expression either, urging a roll of the eyes out of the aspiring comedian. "Appearances can be deceiving, Pītā. Now, if any of you decide that you want to take part, you need to sign the application forms and head to Room 301 at the Academy. You need to be there at three P.M sharp, five days from now. Any questions?" The silver haired ninja checked, he didn't want to leave them high and dry after all.

Sakura was about to raise a hand, there were many things she still wasn't sure about. "Nah, we've totally got this, believe it!" Naruto yelled, fist pumping the air as his female friend deflated.

Kakashi noticed it but decided to let it be, she had to figure things out on her own. "Good, now that that's out of the way, I was hoping I could have a word, Naruto." The man requested, prompting the boy to stop hopping up and down on the spot.

He tilted his head again, like an inquisitive little puppy. "What'd I do wrong?" The whisker decorated lad spoke, assuming that he was in some sort of trouble.

Because most of the time, that was the case. "It's nothing like that, I promise. I was just hoping we could talk for a moment, privately." Kakashi dropped the hint, as blatant as it was.

Pītā shrugged, throwing a mock salute his mentor's way before he gently started guiding Sakura away from the scene. "Say no more, I got it." He remarked, noting how the girl was too wrapped up in her own thoughts to really notice the contact.

She walked herself, emerald green eyes scanning the piece of paper like she was trying to decipher some kind of hidden message. The spider on the other hand, wasn't sure what Kakashi wanted to talk to Naruto about but decided not to question it; it wasn't any of his business to pry anyway, though he was quite the nosy Pākā.

Left alone, Naruto blinked up at Kakashi as the man tried to think of a way to approach his situation. "I'd like to go for a walk, Naruto. Care to join me?" He invited, confusing the lad with his vagueness on the matter.

Despite this, theblue eyed boy trusted his teacher and ended up agreeing all the same. "Lead the way,sensei." Naruto replied, towing Kakashi as he set off, headed away from the treelines of the forest and towards the populouscentre of Konoha.

* * *

It didn't take long for the two of them to reach their destination, a few long minutes of walking, with Naruto continuously pestering his teacher. Kakashi merely kept quiet, not losing his patience with the boy, like so many other people did. He was eager, that was all. There was nothing wrong with it, nothing in the slightest.

Eventually, the mismatched duo, practically adorned in shadow and light, were standing around the back of the Academy. Naruto was about to question his sensei, when the Jōnin simply pointed towards the large mountain that overlooked Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

Naruto's bright blue eyes found faces staring back at him, giant, proud faces, carved out of solid rock. "Hokage Rock… what did you bring me here for? Is this about the graffiti? Because that was a while ago, sensei and I already said I was sorry like a thousand times!" The blonde defended, resting his elbows on a railing, protecting people from falling down a steep drop below.

Kakashi placed his hands firmly in his pockets, not bothering to glance at his pupil and instead focused on the monument to the village's leaders, past and present. "I thought it'd be a pleasant place to chat, that's all." He replied calmly, though remembered Naruto's defacement of Hokage Rock.

It was something he preferred not to think about, in all honesty. "Oh… well, talk about what?" The twelve year old responded, confused and sceptical on the matter.

Kakashi shrugged his shoulders, apparently still trying to find the right words. "Something… a little personal, Naruto. Not to me, but to you. Are you comfortable talking to me about something like that?" The man checked, he didn't want to freak the lad out after all.

Naruto arched an eyebrow, but nodded all the same. "Sure, sensei, we can talk about anything." He answered, earning a hidden smile out of the educator.

"Good, that's good. Naruto, I'd like to talk about what happened back in the Land of Waves. Is that all right with you?" Kakashi asked, giving the boy his full attention.

Naruto pushed himself off of the railing, standing before his sensei. "You mean… what happened at the bridge?" The pre-teen queried, resulting in a silent nod from the silver haired ninja.

Kakashi was a little out of his depth, trying to approach a fragile topic with a child no less. "Naruto, do you know what hides inside you?" The man wasted no time; he wanted the child to understand the gravity of the situation.

Naruto was a little caught off-guard with his bluntness, but gave a rapid nod of the head. "The Nine-Tailed Fox," he answered, a little frantically too.

The elder of the two kneeled down, putting himself eye to eye with the boy for a moment. "Why do you say that?" Kakashi was testing him, trying to gauge exactly what he knew.

Naruto seemed to lose himself for a moment, his eyes glazing over as his mind drifted back to that day on the bridge. The demon, Zabuza. The boy under his tutelage, Haku. The impossibly cruel choice he'd presented to him, the life of a comrade for the life of a kind stranger. He honestly didn't remember much, but he'd seen red.

Not just anger, he'd quite literally seen red. "I… everything's a little hazy but… I got a glimpse of something, something staring back at me. It was huge, glowing red and… it just gave off this vibe. I don't know how to explain it, this vibe that practically screamed evil. I knew then and there, all the elders kept talking about the Nine-Tails, how dangerous it was and what it did to Konoha. That's when I knew, it was inside me." Naruto managed to recall, stumbling his way through sentences.

Kakashi placed a hand on his shoulder in an effort to calm the boy down, he was becoming quite emotional. "It's not your fault, Naruto. None of this is your fault, do you understand me? It was out of your control, out of your hands. You were just a baby, you'd just been born, you are not responsible for what happened." He affirmed, brow furrowed as the boy bowed his head.

"That's why everyone hates me, isn't it? That's why I always hear them, whispering behind me back, laughing at me. They think I'm some kind of monster, don't they?" The jinchūriki asked, holding back the tears, just as he had done for years.

Kakashi shook his head; even he with his cool and collected demeanour, his arguably cold heart, could not stand the sight of an upset child. "Listen to me, Naruto and listen well. The only reason this village is still standing is because of you, because the Fourth Hokage sacrificed himself in order to give evil a prison. You are that prison; you're very existence keeps the Leaf safe. You're a host, a conduit for pure evil, the only thing keeping the demon in check." He appealed, attempting to comfort the boy with the truth.

Though he refrained from revealing too much, telling the boy that his own father had been the one to seal the demon inside him, giving his life, just as his mother did. Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki, how Kakashi missed his old teacher, his sensei. It was frightening really, how much Naruto reminded him of the man that taught him everything he knew.

He also didn't mention that Naruto's mother had been the previous host of the Nine-Tails; he didn't think the boy was quite ready to hear that just yet. One step at a time, he didn't want to scare the child after all.

"Naruto, I need you to understand. This thing inside you, it's there for the very reason everyone else is still alive. What happened on the bridge, it shouldn't have been able to do that but it did. It managed to seep through the seal placed on you, the seal that represents the iron bars on its cage." Kakashi spoke, gently using his finger to lift the boy's chin.

Naruto nodded, his usually bright and cheery complexion darkening somewhat. "You… you mean this?" The boy questioned, reaching down to pull his blue and orange jacket up.

The seal, an Eight Sign Seal, resembled a black, swirl-like tattoo, surrounded by a jagged circle. "I do, Naruto. This seal is the only thing keeping the Nine-Tails inside you, and every time you lose control, just as you did on the bridge, its Chakra mixes with your own to devastating results. You can't allow it to overpower you," Kakashi refrained from touching the seal, instead pulling the child's jacket down to once again hide the mark around his belly button.

Naruto still had questions; questions that he was betting Kakashi wouldn't have been able to answer. "What if it does, Kakashi-Sensei?" He murmured, though almost regretted asking when his teacher fixed him with a serious gaze.

Kakashi managed to catch himself, about to explain to the boy that if the Nine-Tails ever escaped from its prison, then it would kill Naruto and everyone around him. The village would've been laid waste to, countless innocents slaughtered. Nobody would've been able to stop it, the Fourth Hokage was in a league of his own, Kakashi couldn't think of anyone that even came close to matching the man.

Instead, he closed his dull grey eyes and smiled. "It won't, Naruto. Not while I'm around, not while your friends are by your side. As long as you draw strength from them, and trust in your own abilities, that demon will never see the light of day again." Kakashi appeased the boy, fibbing a little for the child's own benefit.

Just as well, as Naruto smiled for the first time since their little talk had begun. "You really think I'm strong enough?" The boy queried, wide eyed and full of wonder as Kakashi rose out of his crouch.

Standing at his full height, completely dwarfing his pupil, the man nodded. "Of course, Naruto. Now, go on, run along and find your teammates. You need to put in some time to train before the exams, you only have five days to prepare, remember?" Kakashi reminded the lad, watching him bow low as a show of respect before darting off.

The masked Shinobi watched as his student disappeared into the streets of Konoha, losing sight of him as people were out in full to shop for goods, trade, and enjoy the warm and bright weather. Kakashi was confident that the boy would keep control; he was very resolved when he needed to be. It was easy to think of Naruto as the boy that used to pull pranks on everyone for attention, he remembered the way Iruka did the exact same thing when he was younger.

The Jōnin turned back to Hokage Rock, once again planting his hands in his pockets as he studied the monument to all reining Kage, the First all the way to the Fourth. His single eye zoned in on Minato's carved profile, showing no sign of emotion.

Naruto was going to be fine, just fine. "It runs in the family after all," Kakashi muttered to himself, before departing as he spared one last fleeting thought for his deceased teacher and his dear wife, Kushina.

* * *

Strolling through the rather busy streets of the Leaf Village, two members of Team 7 were both wrapped up in their own little world. Sakura Haruno hadn't stopped staring at the application form in her hand, continuously scrutinizing every inch of it. For what, her teammate had no clue. Pītā Pākā side-eyed her, brow furrowed and his hands stuffed into his pockets as they walked together.

Something was bothering her, that much he knew. It wasn't hard to spot; the lad had never seen her in such a way before. It baffled him slightly; she was too enveloped in the form in her possession to disapprove of his particular brand of idiocy. Usually she leaped at the opportunity to call him and Naruto an idiot, but she'd remained completely silent ever since they'd left the forest.

It wasn't Pītā's problem, but it was starting to bug the heck out of him just looking at her. "What's on your mind, Sakura?" The spider finally queried, he'd had just about enough of… whatever it was she was doing.

His red dressed friend barely caught his words, too lost in her own thoughts to even register his oh so familiar tone. "Huh? What? Did you say something just now?" Sakura responded, having an extremely difficult time dividing her attention between her comrade and the application form.

Pītā frowned; he decided to make it easier for her. "What is with you? You're not having this back until you talk to me," he scolded, like a father to his child.

He proceeded to snatch the form out of her hands with inhuman speed, barely moving at all to Sakura's naked eye. "Hey!" She protested, reacting far too late as she swiped the air.

Pītā stuffed the form into one of the compartments on his flak jacket, keeping it safe for the time being with his own form. "Forget the form, look at me and tell me what's wrong." He persisted, furrowing his brow in response to her own agitated eyes.

Green glared at brown as she stood there, folding her arms in defiance. "Nothing is wrong, okay? I'm fine, really, so just give me back my form." Sakura fibbed, lied through her teeth.

Pītā didn't need to listen to her heartbeat to catch the lie, though the vital organ keeping her alive was pumping rather fast. "Yeah, like I buy that. I wasn't born yesterday, buttercup. You've been acting weird ever since you got this stupid scrap of paper," he shot back, steadfast and unyielding.

Sakura exhibited the same qualities, unwilling to back down from her friend. "Don't you dare start making assumptions, Pītā Pākā." The girl fought, pointing a very aggressive finger in his face.

The brunette overpowered her with painful ease, lowering her hand and staring right back at her. "I won't have to if you'd just tell me… just tell me, Sakura. I can't help you if you won't let me, I'm not that good." He pestered, urging her to come clean with him.

The pink haired twelve year old faltered, pulling her hand away from his as she frowned. "It's personal… you wouldn't understand," she excused, turning away from him and attempting to leave.

Sakura halted in her tracks as Pītā stood in front of her, a genuine look in his eyes as he refused to let her bail. "Look at me, Sakura. I crack wise but I'm no jerk, I'm not gonna make fun of you or anything like that. You have to start trusting me, we're teammates after all." Pītā appealed, the problem must have been a serious one to warrant such irrational behaviour out of his friend.

Sakura's brow knotted, a hitch caught in her throat for a moment. "I… I don't," she attempted, her heartrate speeding up as an anxious look appeared on her face.

Pītā steadied her, placing a gentle yet firm hand on her shoulder to keep her grounded. "Sakura… please," he tried once more, almost sounding desperate as he gazed down at the smaller girl.

The Kunoichi's breathing evened out, if she wasn't careful, she'd end up having a panic attack. "I… I don't think I'm ready—for the exams, I mean." She revealed, stunning Pītā ever so slightly.

He would've never guessed that that was the issue she was so worried about, obsessing over to the point it was beginning to make her paranoid. "See? Was that so hard?" The spider encouraged, a comfortable friendliness to his tone that instantly set the girl at ease.

She gave a weak smile, placing her hand to her forehead and shutting her eyes in embarrassment. "It's dumb, isn't it?" Sakura murmured, prompting a minor laugh out of her friend.

Pītā shook his head, a smile beneath his mask too small to make out. "It's not dumb, Sakura. Everyone gets a little anxious every now and then, starts doubting themselves. What is dumb is keeping it to yourself, keeping it bottled up inside you. You need to talk this out with someone, and since I'm here, might as well be me, right?" He offered, nothing but honesty and understanding woven within his words.

Sakura felt the hesitant smile on her lips grow, taking her eyes off of her friend for a moment. "I guess so," she reasoned, raising her head once more.

Pītā was about to urge her to continue but paused, noticing her complexion light up considerably… and that she wasn't looking at him, but rather behind him. The spider arched an eyebrow, before he turned around and was hit with a wave of realization. Sakura was blushing considerably, a shy smile adorning her coy expression.

Sasuke Uchiha was walking towards them, hands stuffed into his dark blue hoody. He was being tailed by his two teammates, Sai Toriyama and Yakumo Kurama. The former resembled Sasuke to a rather extreme degree, only differing in hair length and skin tone. Sai was pale, almost unnaturally so. His hair was a dark black, just like that of Sasuke's and he sported dark and dull clothes. They were black and grey in colour, contrasting with his incredibly light skin.

The most unusual thing about him was the small backpack he carried on his back, it held a specialized scroll, his paint brush and ninja ink inside. It was unusual because Sai appeared so distant all the time, so stoic and emotionless that it was almost unnerving, almost rivalling Sasuke to a degree.

The only girl of the team, Yakumo, stood out in comparison. She possessed long brunette hair, straight and loose on one side of her face and braided on the other. Her eyes were brown in colour, just like Pītā's but much lighter in shade. Compared to her teammates, she seemed cheery and upbeat, wearing a pink kimono and baggy purple pants. Her sandals were orange, and a pink sash held her kimono closed with two pockets on the front.

She had a few things in common with Pītā, being the sole surviving member of the Kurama-Clan. As the trio strolled by him and Sakura, the spider was impressed; she hid the pain well with a polite smile. Sai closed his eyes in a friendly manner and also offered a smile, but if Pītā hadn't known any better, he'd have said it was forced.

Sasuke on the other hand, didn't bother with a smile. He didn't bother with pleasantries, niceties, or greetings. Instead, he kept walking, straight-faced and stoic as ever. Pītā arched an eyebrow, he didn't know him too well but had spent years with him in the Academy, and it was typical behaviour from the boy.

Sakura slowly raised her hand, waving shyly as her eyes followed the lad. "Hi, Sasuke." She called after him, receiving no answer from him as he continued to walk.

He didn't even turn around, glance back over his shoulder as was the common courtesy. Sakura frowned, not an angry frown but an upset one. With her brow knitted together, her cheeks glowed an intense red. She was embarrassed, he hadn't even paid her any attention, given her any kind of sign that he'd heard her.

Pītā was almost tempted to say something, a little irritated that the boy hadn't given the girl with a crush on him the time of day. It was common knowledge that Sakura was head over heels for the kid, just like Ino and likely every other girl in the village was. But that was no concern to Pītā; he didn't care who liked him or who didn't.

The Shinobi raised his arm and took aim; just about to press the palm of his hand with two fingers, ready to nail the kid in the back of the head with a bolt of super glue, when Sakura grabbed his wrist in protest. She didn't need to tell Pītā to not do something stupid, she simply squeezed his wrist. Pītā rolled his eyes, complying as he lowered his arm and turned away from the raven haired kid.

"Forget about him, Sakura. Let's focus on what's important, this little anxiety issue of yours." Pītā reminded the girl, the both of them continuing to walk through the streets of Konoha, passing stores and stalls as people hustled and bustled through the day.

She nodded, rubbing her arm in a show of discomfort. "It's not that I'm scared or anything like that, it's just… I don't think I'm good enough. There are so many other ninja out there that are so much better than me," Sakura almost whispered, a little weary about talking about such a private thing so openly.

Pītā shrugged, her words did hold some merit. "Name one," he felt the need to challenge her though; they had to work around the problem somehow.

Sakura pondered for a moment, eyes staring down at the toes poking through her sandals. "Well… there's you for one," she reasoned, causing Pītā to halt in his steps.

"Me? You can't be serious," the ninja replied, almost flabbergasted.

Because Sakura rarely ever praised anyone except the all-powerful Sasuke, so it was a little bit of a shock to the system for the boy. "Dead serious, Pītā. You're the one that got us through the bell-test; you're the one that acted when those Chūnin tried to kill Tazuna outside of Konoha. You didn't even flinch when we went up against Zabuza, both times. It doesn't matter if Haku got the drop on you; the point is that you weren't afraid of him. You didn't let those Sand Ninja push us around either; it's almost as if you aren't afraid of anything." She poured out, surprising Pītā with such genuine words.

Things were silent as the two stood there for a moment, people moving by them as they went about their day, buying and trading goods, ignoring the two ninja children locked in a single moment of time. Pītā's eyebrows hadn't yet snapped back to their original position, still shot up in veritable astonishment.

Sakura squirmed under his gaze, hands fidgeting together as she blushed. She was about to say something, follow up the ridiculous things she'd said with something, anything to dispel the insanely awkward tension between the two of them.

"Rats," the Shukeikō heir beat her to the punch, uttering one word that dumbfounded the girl.

She shook her head, her long pink locks following, as if she hadn't heard him correctly. "Rats?" Sakura queried, speaking the word as if it were in a completely different language, some sort of alien dialect.

The boy nodded, shrugging. "I'm afraid of rats, scared to death of 'em… don't tell anybody or… I might have to kill you." Pītā requested, encouraging a dumb nod out of the Kunoichi.

Sakura mimed the motion of zipping her lips, shakily smiling to convey her trustworthiness. "Your secret's safe with me, honest." She appeased, once again walking in tandem with the lad as he set off, seemingly satisfied.

"Look, getting back to the problem at hand, you have to remember that the exams are voluntary. Naruto and I, we won't force you into doing anything you're not comfortable with. It's your thing, Sakura, entirely your decision." Pītā explained, showing nothing but support for his feminine comrade.

But Sakura wasn't so sure, confidence being the one thing she'd always lacked. "I—I know, Pītā and I appreciate that, really I do. It's just… I don't wanna let you guys down, after everything we've been through, I don't want to hold you back." She muttered, a sadness once again crossing her features.

Pītā wracked his brain for some kind of argument; because he wasn't about to let her beat herself up over anything. "Remember Kakashi-Sensei's bell-test? Remember how we passed? Remember what you and Naruto did for me? You stuck your neck out for me, even if it meant going back to the Academy. For me, a guy you hated." He pointed out, though was caught off-guard when a finger was pointed in his face.

"I never hated you, Pītā. You just… you knew how to get under my skin, that's all." She retreated back into herself, though still fixed him with a fierce gaze.

The red and blue spider nodded, she was right after all. "Still do, I consider it an art form. But that's beside the point, you still stuck by me and you can be damn well sure that I'll do the same. Regardless of your choice, Naruto and I, we'll understand. And if you do decide to go for it, win or lose, we'll do it as a team, nothing less. Don't be afraid to reach out for a hand, Sakura." Pītā hit his point home, gently extending a hand right for the taking.

Sakura studied it for a moment, just like she had done earlier that day. There were no masses of water nearby, no opportunities for a prank. A genuine hand, complete with genuine brown eyes. She took it and felt elevated by it, Pītā's skin wasn't soft like her own but rough. She attributed it to years of wall-crawling; it was in his very nature after all.

The small and tender moment between friends was interrupted by a shrill gasp, Pītā and Sakura quickly breaking apart and standing a good, sizable distance away from one another. Team 10 made their way towards the pair, the newest generation of the Ino-Shika-Chō Trio, a team consisting of friendship and excellent teamwork. The team consisted of one girl and two boys, just like most ninja squads. They were under the tutelage of Asuma Sarutobi, though like Sakura and Pītā, weren't with their sensei.

The team consisted of Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara and Chōji Akimichi. Three kids that were so vastly different in terms of personality, it was easy forget how well they worked with one another. Ino had long yet noticeably pale blonde hair, significantly lighter than Naruto's own sunshine colour. Her skin was fair in tone, but what stood out the most were her incredibly light blue eyes.

They were much paler than Naruto's, appearing almost icy while his were a deep ocean colour. Save for a lone bang that hung over her right eye, she wore her hair in a tight pony-tail, its length reaching down to her waist much like Sakura's. She wore silver hoop earrings, something not a lot of children her age did, aside from her teammates, coincidentally. Her attire consisted of all things purple, wearing a vest-like blouse with a raised collar, and an apron-like skirt cut off at the sides.

White bandages covered her waist and thighs, while white and purple elbow warmers clung to her arms. Standard blue sandals were covering her feet, and a kunai holster was strapped to her right thigh. Unlike most of her peers, Ino wore her Leaf headband around her waist, most likely stopping it from getting in the way of her hair. Pītā recognized, just like everyone else, that the girl took pride in her appearance and was dressed somewhat provocatively, even despite her young age.

Shikamaru on the other hand, didn't particularly care about his appearance. In fact, there weren't many things at all that the kid cared about. The boy's hair was pitch black, tied into a rather sharp-looking pony-tail and like Pītā, possessed brown eyes. Like his female teammate, Shikamaru sported a pair of silver hoop earrings, given to him by his father. He wore a green-lined mesh t-shirt, nestled underneath a short-sleeved grey jacket, edged with green. Breaking from the norm, he wore his Leaf headband around his left arm.

Rather plain brown pants covered his legs, a kunai holster strapped to his thigh like virtually every other ninja. The kid was a certifiable genius, having bested Pītā in the methodical game of shōgi the few times they'd played together, stunning the boy each and every time. Despite this, he achieved some of the lowest scores back in the Academy due to his incredible laziness.

Last but not least, was Chōji. The lad was rather on the large side, and was fairly sensitive about his weight. It was something attributed to his clan as they converted calories to Chakra, making efficient use of their eating habits. He was a brunette like Pītā, though his spiky hair was much lighter in shade. Much in the same vein as Naruto, Chōji was born with unusual birthmarks too. In place of black whiskers, the Team 10 member's cheeks were decorated with two distinct red swirls.

He sported a short-sleeved green haori, sitting on top of a white t-shirt with the kanji for food front and centre. Like his fellow teammates, Chōji's ears were home to a pair of silver hoop earrings, completing the trio's unique look. The husky boy wore a pair of black shorts, while his legs, forearms and hands were wrapped in clean, white bandages. He wore his Leaf forehead protector where it should've been, on his forehead, though it was styled in a certain way that allowed his hair to poke out in two tufts.

To cap it all off, a long white scarf was draped around his neck. Pītā wasn't sure why, in his own opinion, it was way too hot out. The trio approached the disgruntled duo, Ino glaring at Sakura, Shikamaru appearing disinterested and irritated and Chōji stuffing his face with a bag of chips.

Ino was the first to speak, having gasped and catching them holding each other's hand. "What was that just now? With the hand holding?" She pestered, curiosity written across her adolescent features.

The only reason Ino was so interested was because of her competition with Sakura, the two had been at each other's throats for years in regards to Sasuke Uchiha. So, Sakura showing interest in another boy was news to Ino, welcome news at that. Though, she didn't exactly know what her former best friend saw in the spider, she found him extremely abrasive.

Sakura raised her hands in defence, sweat dropping in the meanwhile. "Nothing! Nothing at all! We were just talking, that's all!" She excused herself, drawing a slightly insulted look from Pītā.

He forgave the transgression; it wasn't like he wanted to be involved with Sakura. "Ino, always a pleasure. You here to wave your fist around and yell at us for no apparent reason?" The boy prodded, hoping to take some of the attention off of Sakura.

It worked wonders as Ino gave a spiteful laugh, her fists resting on her slim waist. "Oh, I'm Pītā Pākā and I'm oh so hilarious, look how funny I am, guys! Stop trying so hard, you big jerk." Ino bit back, drawing a grin out of the spider.

She was engaging him, something he lived for. "Props for the impression, just spot on all around. But the insult, I'm not feeling it. Why don't you simmer down, half-pint, before you have an aneurism." He deadpanned, keeping his cool as Ino steamed up.

She narrowed her eyes, ice blue getting even icier if that was possible. "Listen, pal, I don't care how strong you are, I'll wipe that smug look right off your face!" Ino threatened, standing up to Pītā as Sakura, Shikamaru and Chōji looked on in pure confusion.

The one who couldn't have been less interested in events spoke up first, Shikamaru voicing his distaste on the matter. "We've been standing here for fifteen seconds; how the heck did it devolve into a shouting match?" He queried, though his words were lost in a sea of insults.

"Not sure whether I should wet myself or slap my knee, man, that is a toughie!" The spider retaliated, throwing his arms up in mock indecision.

Ino grit her teeth, fists balled and arms held close to either side of her body as she glared up at him. She opened her mouth to reply, say something, anything that would've kept the argument going but just couldn't think of anything to say other than 'jerk'. And she'd said that already, she didn't want to repeat herself.

"Ugh!" Ino instead opted for a sound conveying her frustration, backing down and reaffirming her place by her teammates' sides.

Pītā folded his arms in quiet triumph, while Ino folded her own in silent anger. "That was surreal," Sakura murmured, as the constant bickering had died down, hopefully giving way to actual conversation.

"What's shaking, Shikamaru?" Pītā finally greeted, ignoring the death glare Ino was still sending him.

The slacker genius blinked at the kid, a boy he shared a few things in common with. Well, two things to be more precise. Those two things were strategic thinking and a formidable intellect, Pītā was easily the only student who even came close to competing with him in the latter. Sakura wasn't too far behind; Shikamaru was anything but ignorant though… he held a slightly lower opinion of girls than he did of boys.

Not because he was sexist or anything like that but… well, he hadn't actually seen a girl do anything even remotely impressive. The smartest, fastest, strongest, most skilled kids in their age range were all boys. Until that changed, his opinion wasn't going to. It might've been wrong, a little closed-minded, but he'd been brought up in such a way. Boys were superior to girls in every way, as far as he was concerned, it was fact.

His fellow peers were well aware of this controversial stance and didn't exactly agree with him, so rather than speak his mind constantly and receive scolding's from every girl he came across, the lad chose to keep his mouth shut and speak only when it was necessary.

Shikamaru shook his head, snapping back to reality as the resident comedian of the rookies addressed him, surprisingly holding off with his usual nicknames. "Nice going riling her up, Pītā. We're the ones that have to deal with it," he noted, drawing a slight chuckle out of the kid.

The brunette shrugged, he knew how the Nara boy felt about responsibility, completely contrasting Pītā's own nindō. "I'm here 'til Thursday," he jested, receiving a solid elbow in the ribs for his trouble.

Sakura fixed the lad with a stern glare; she thought he'd learned his lesson by now in regards to quitting while he was ahead. "And you think that's worse than what I have to deal with? I've got the comedy king here and his partner-in-crime, prankster boy, to worry about." She one upped Shikamaru, drawing a role of the eyes out of the lazy lad.

Chōji, still chowing down on his snack, happened to agree to a certain extent. "Looks like we all got the short end of the stick, huh?" He concurred, drawing an arch of the eyebrow out of both Pītā and Ino.

"Standing right here, dude." The spider deadpanned, watching a frustrated Ino spin her teammate around to face her.

"Yeah, what he said!" For once, she happened to agree with Pītā, even despite his 'jerk status'.

Chōji shrank in place, nervously smiling as he shut his eyes and waved her off. "Oh, no, you must've misheard me! My mouth's full of food so it's hard to tell what I'm saying sometimes!" The large boy, with impressive physical strength, defended himself frantically.

Ino took two of her fingers, bringing them to her own deathly pale eyes and then gently hovered them in front of Chōji's own wide orbs. "I'm watching you," she warned, sending chills up the kid's spine, he was on her team after all.

"Ah, Pākā and Yamanaka, that explains why we could hear you on the other side of the village." Kiba Inuzuka rocked up to the scene, hands stuffed into his fur-lined grey coat.

Standing with him was his own teammates, the ever enigmatic Shino Aburame and the girl of the trio, the meekly shy Hinata Hyūga. The bug user simply stared at the last living spider, eyebrows furrowed behind those stark black glasses of his. Pītā chose to ignore it, the kid had been tense around him ever since they'd met and that was… well, when they were very little.

Ino took offence to the dog user's choice remark, while Pītā simply arched an eyebrow and smirked. "What the hell's that supposed to mean?!" The girl yelled, predictively waving her fist in a rather aggressive manner.

The spider answered for her, standing in the midst of a walk between two ninja that had slowly evolved into a gathering of eight. "It means that we're loudmouths, learn to own it." Pītā informed the shorter girl, very aware of the daggers he received in return.

He strolled over to Kiba, his chocolate brown orbs zoning in on the tiny ninkin perched on the lad's shoulder. "Akamaru, you've got a Kiba on your butt." He jested, attempting to stroke the pooch as Kiba rolled his eyes in disdain.

"Yeah, 'cos that never gets old." The pre-teen, rough looking ninja remarked, watching as his best friend growled at his fellow ninja.

Pītā snapped his hand back, before narrowing his eyes at the canine and hissing, doing his best to mimic a cat. "Oh, for the love of…" Sakura murmured as her comrade had gotten into some kind of unintelligible argument with an animal.

Shino surprised those present by choosing to speak, the buzzing of insects inside his long grey jacket warning him about the spider in front of him. "Sakura… Pītā…" he greeted, a little uncertainty in the latter word he voiced.

Pītā wasn't surprised; he'd learned to live with it. "Shades, always a pleasure." He replied, abandoning his little spat with Akamaru as Sakura nodded.

"You're missing a member," Shino responded, choosing to disregard the nickname Pītā had given to him; he'd been disregarding it for years now.

Curiously, at the mention of their third missing member, Hinata seemed to perk up a bit. "Naruto isn't here?" She practically whispered, a stark contrast to virtually every one of her fellow rookies.

The red and blue Shinobi took the moment to bow towards Hinata, it was something of a habit at that point and while it may have been out of place, he'd been brought up to respect the many clans of Konoha. It was drastically different to the boys who belonged to clans, they never took it seriously enough for Pītā's liking.

Besides, Hinata had started it. The very first time he met her, shortly before joining the Academy, she'd bowed to him and addressed him as master. It probably had something to do with his standing as the heir of the Shukeikō-Clan, and back then, Hinata had been slated to become the Hyūga-Clan head.

Unfortunately, that position had been taken from her shortly after. Hinata was the eldest of the main branch of the Hyūga-Clan, though her cousin, Neji Hyūga, was a year her senior. As such, Hinata had been forced to duel with her younger sister, Hanabi, in order to determine who would take over as clan head.

Hinata lost, not just the duel but her place as heiress and future head. Though, that hadn't mattered to Pītā. Being a spider, he was supposed to have been raised in-house. Closed off, guarded from the rest of the kids his age. Because of his circumstances, he wasn't and he'd instantly stuck out like a sore thumb when he'd tried to play with the other kids.

A few had taken a liking to him, Kiba and Shikamaru among them, but Hinata had been the first to ever show him anything. And the first thing she'd shown him was respect, pure, unflinching respect. It'd made him feel a little strange, sure but it was kind of nice too. It was only right that he'd repay the favour, and he had been doing so ever since. It was a common thing, Pītā or Hinata would bow first, which would be followed by rolls of the eyes from their peers.

"Disappointed, Lady Hinata?" The spider queried, rising out of his low bow.

Naturally, as was the custom, Hinata threw her shy disposition aside for a brief flickering moment to bow in return. "No… not at all, Master Pītā. I was just wondering where he was, if you don't mind my asking." She politely replied, practising the same etiquette she'd been taught since early childhood.

She stood to her full height, standing just a little bit taller than Naruto, who was the smallest of the rookies. "Of course not, Hinata. Last we saw him; he was with Kakashi-Sensei." Sakura was the one to answer her query, earning a timid nod in return, the girl's cheeks growing rosy at the mere mention of the blonde haired lad.

Shikamaru stuffed his hands into his pockets, still vaguely interested in the conversation at best. "Speaking of sensei, have any of you guys been chosen for the Chūnin Exams? Not to be blunt or anything…" The genius Shinobi questioned, a superior smirk appearing on Ino's face as she closed her eyes and placed a hand on her waist.

"Why even bother asking, Shikamaru? The exams are only for highly skilled Genin such as ourselves, in fact, I doubt any of them even know what the Chūnin Exams are." The pale blonde haired pre-teen, one of the only three girls present, claimed.

Kiba exchanged a sly glance with Shino, who simply nodded in return. Sakura and Pītā's eyes locked, the former smiling coyly. Hinata continued to stare downwards, her forefingers pressing against one another as she fidgeted a little uncomfortably.

"On three?" Kiba voiced to the group, reaching into his jacket pocket to fish something out.

Pītā mimicked him, along with Sakura, Shino and Hinata. "Do you have to ask?" The spider quipped, before Team 8 and Team 7, minus a member, whipped out their exam application forms for all to see.

Ino frowned, the smirk having been wiped from her face. "God, were they just giving them away?!" She whined, drawing a dejected sigh from the smartest member of her squad.

After slowly putting their forms away, Shino made an observation. "It seems our teachers have tremendous faith in us, the exams are nothing to scoff at." The Aburame-Clan member spoke, his tone quiet yet precise and analytical.

Pītā was about to add something, probably a one-liner or a joke knowing him. "No way! You guys are taking the exams too?!" But the boy was beaten to the punch as a bundle of energy dropped in on them, causing the Hyūga girl to blush uncontrollably.

Naruto finally reassumed his place in Team 7, standing right between the funny one and the bossy one. "You sound surprised," Ino fixed the newcomer with a steely eyed glare, prompting Naruto to backpedal a little bit as he smiled nervously.

"No, not at all, Ino! Just… excited, that's all. I mean, we all get to take the exams together. That's cool, right?" The blonde jinchūriki dodged a bullet, drawing half-hearted shrugs or nods from every rookie.

Shikamaru was the first to reply, naturally a little pessimistic in his answer. "Yeah, cool if you've got the Byakugan like Hinata. Cool if you can do whatever a spider can like Pītā, cool if you're one of the number one rookies like Sasuke. Not exactly cool for us regular ninja, Naruto." He pointed out, hands hidden in his pockets and eyes half-lidded.

The boy felt a hand push his shoulder and he was forced to address a disgruntled Ino, all up in his space to boot. "It always comes back down to Sasuke, doesn't it? Why don't you stop kidding yourself and just admit you're jealous already, Shikamaru?" The purple dressed Kunoichi accused, earning the ire of every present lad in the vicinity.

Pītā arched an eyebrow; he knew full well that Ino would defend Sasuke any chance she got. "The world doesn't revolve around your boyfriend, short round." The comedian informed her, attracting Ino's wrath while Shikamaru sighed.

"Finally, a voice of reason." The sharp lad muttered beneath his breath, preferring not to get into it with his troublesome teammate.

Ino, once again, attempted to step into the spider's face as he folded his arms and winked at her. "Why don't you tell your boyfriend here to back off, billboard brow?" The girl instead turned to Sakura, who honestly hadn't seen the pop coming.

The pink haired Kunoichi took a moment to compose herself, smiling a little even as her eyebrow furrowed. "First of all, he isn't my boyfriend." She listed off, eyes firmly shut as Pītā arched a brow.

"Ouch," he murmured, sharing a glance with Naruto, the kid simply shrugging in return.

Sakura spoke once more, her tone growing all the darker as Ino's insult had apparently affected her more than she'd let on. "And secondly… you take that back, you stupid—!"She lunged for Ino, who hadn't even expected the reaction.

Fortunately for the loudmouth, her male counterpart had caught Sakura mid-leap, looping his arms beneath her own. "Okay! I think that's brought this conversation to an abrupt end, don't you?" Pītā posed, holding his furious teammate back as she kicked and seethed in his grip.

Shikamaru sighed, why were girls always so troublesome?

"Can't say I'm a little disappointed, thought we were gonna see some action there." Kiba muttered, earning a disagreeing bark out of Akamaru and incredulous expression from Shino.

The insect user fixed his hidden eyes on his comrade, trying to figure out just what made the boy tick. "I agree with Akamaru, there's something wrong with you." Shino remarked, resulting in an indifferent shrug out of the wild brunette.

Hinata ignored the tense spectacle between the only other two girls, waving as Naruto left with the rest of Team 7. "Bye, Naruto!" She called out, earning a rather confused wave in return.

The whisker decorated boy didn't dwell on it too much, that was just Hinata being Hinata again, just a little bit weird. "Five days! Don't be late!" Kiba yelled out, earning a concurring nod out of Shino.

Shikamaru and Chōji dragged a stunned Ino away, the girl had been blindsided with the way Sakura had darted straight for her. "We'll be there, unfortunately." The lazy genius sighed, disappearing from view with his two comrades.

"Us too! See you then, believe it!" Naruto opted for the last word, vanishing into the hustle and bustle of the Leaf's marketplace, leaving Team 8 to their own devices and preparation for the exams.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** So that's all preparation and lead up to the exams finished, and I know some of you might find that boring but this was a very necessary chapter before we get into all of the fighting and death-traps and stuff.

Those with a keen eye might have noticed that I've given Sai and Tenten surnames, **Deadpoolsson** informed the decision and helped me pick them because I just found it slightly out of place. Every other person, with a few exceptions, have a family name and it's never really been explained why Tenten and Sai don't. I'm pretty sure Sai isn't even his real name, so we can also assume that his surname is fake too. Plus, I went for alliteration with Tenten to give it that slightly Marvel feel.

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, I had fun writing it. Next, we'll see the Leaf rookies, along with Team Guy submit for the Chūnin Exams and enter the Forest of Death. Stay tuned!

 **Guest Reviews:**

 **Aztec 13:** It's cool, man, no harm, no foul. If I can fit them into the story without it seeming a bit heavy-handed, then I'll no doubt do it. I wouldn't mind seeing a few other Marvel heroes realized in the Narutoverse.

 **Guest1:** It's one of the best designs for the character, so I thought I'd use it as a starting point for Ock. Jiraiya trains Naruto before the arena matches, so who knows, maybe Madame Web will show up to impart some wisdom.

 **atom king:** I did think about that too, but because of the nature of Gaara's abilities, Sandman would be rather redundant in this story. Plus, Sandman has been an ally to Spider-Man a few times, and Gaara does fill that slot later on in the story.

 **tiger 5:** No harem here, I promise. I'm actually writing a harem though as it's something I've never done before, it's a Rosario+Vampire/Spider-Man crossover.

 **Guest2:** I don't plan on stopping any time soon.

 **Guest3:** Maybe, it's a big maybe but if they fit in well with the story then I will be including a few appropriate heroes.

 **DocKucCRO:** He's an excellent partner, I'll tell you that. Madame Web's her own character, she'll have her own personality and mannerisms and idiosyncrasies, who knows if she'll end up with a few screws loose.

 **Spider-man Fan:** Ock's never been one to follow orders, has he? Just doesn't seem the type to me, so perhaps you're right. In terms of raw strength, without the use of Chakra, Madame Web is stronger than both Lady Tsunade and Pītā Pākā. Though, as Pītā gets stronger with age, that may change.

 **atom king (yet again!):** I must admit, Cloak and Dagger could fit quite well into this story considering their background. It's certainly something to think on, so if I can find an actual use for them, I may just include them.

 **Aztec 13 (yet again!):** I don't plan to cover the movies, they're not really necessary to the story right now. But other Marvel heroes could very well appear at any point, I haven't flat out said no to that possibility.

 **Guest4:** Here's the update, hoped you liked it!

 **Guest5:** I'd have to say no, Pītā will not be saving Karin as he'll have his own hands full during the Forest of Death. Like canon, Sasuke will save Karin but it will be handled in a much better way, hope I didn't sound too full of myself there.

 **Guest6:** Here's the update, the exams haven't started yet but they will next chapter, promise!

 **coldblue:** Hey again, I'll answer as many questions as I can!

1) I think it'd be appropriate for Ock to hail from Kiri given his theme and background, he tried to remove his kekkei genkai but only made it worse. Perhaps out of fear of being slaughtered like many other people like him?

2) You're right on all accounts, Madame Web has much more to offer than Taijutsu. She is a very powerful Chakra Sensor, and unbeknownst to others, is the latest iteration of the Watcher of the Web. She can see things bordering on precognition, despite the fact that she's blind. So while Pītā has the spider-sense, Madame Web can literally see into the future.

3) I do plan to have her appear before the exam finals, yes. Paralleling Jiraiya teaching Naruto, she will be teaching Pītā a thing or two. And she will get involved in the fight against Orochimaru, so expect sparks to fly.

4) I liked the idea of explaining why Pītā never takes off his mask in public is because it's considered something of a taboo for his clan and their old ways, like he's exposing himself in some way. I'd say he's good looking, but due to the fact that when he does eventually take his mask off, he will have have been wearing it for years, it might make a few heads turn, yeah.

5) I'm all for more science on Pītā's front, the lad's an inventive thinker and it's very much part of his character. I've been looking at new things for him to invent, it's hard to find things that could believably be put together with a few spare parts and scraps. The spider-tracer would be very cool to implement, no doubt. Not all problems will be solved by using his fists, I can tell you that.

6) I think Pītā and Sakura sort of lean on other because they want to, Sakura's quite weak in comparison to Naruto and Pītā, so naturally, he'd be able to help her out with a few things. And Sakura excels in Chakra control, something Pītā struggles with. So, they're a pretty good fit for one another for now.

Thanks for the reviews, I read and reply to every single one and I very much appreciate them all!


	9. Deep Breath

**Author's Note:** Okay, so... how's everyone doing? You good? Yeah, I'm good too. Took me a while to crank this one out, probably because it's the longest chapter to date, filled with character interaction, a few new characters and more of that good ole' Pākā charm. The reason it's so long is... I really wanted to at least get to the second part of the exams, the Forest of Death. I forgot how much happens on the actual exam day, couple that with some flourishes and changes of my own and it makes for a really important part of the story.

But I did it, I finally got to the second part, which you're going to see in full next chapter. These last several chapters have been somewhat of a breather, a chance for everyone to interact with one another and a chance for some characters to grow through some small moments here and there. So, while there won't be any action this chapter, expect things to kick off next chapter. I've planted some quite obvious hints and mentions of just who Pītā's going to run into in the Forest of Death, he's not going to forget any of it anytime soon.

So, with that, let's just get to it already!

 **Disclaimer:** Spider-Man and all related characters are owned by Marvel and in turn, Disney. Naruto and all related characters are owned by Masashi Kishimoto, I own nothing.

* * *

 **Deep Breath (Chūnin Exams Arc)**

Silence reigned in the small bedroom of one Pītā Pākā, save for the occasional spark of electricity, exposed wiring and circuitry at his mercy as he worked on them with surgical precision. A magnifying glass lay off to the side, lying on top of scattered rough sketches of incomplete designs and schematics. He hadn't needed to use the aid just yet, instead focusing on the project with his sharp eyes.

Being a spider, Pītā's senses were considerably superior to others, save for the Inuzuka-Clan's powerful sense of smell. He couldn't see through solid walls or anything like that, but could easily spot things a good couple of miles away from him. And not just hazily, as though the image were a blur and he was struggling to make it out. But with complete clarity, down to every minor detail and far off feature.

The brunette was wearing a pair of specially insulated gloves and protective eyewear in the form of goggles, tailored to his tinkering and inventive nature. "Little to the left… there we go, almost done." Pītā murmured to himself, brow furrowed as his precise hands operated on the open casing of some sort of electronic device.

The device in question resembled a tiny, miniature in size, spider. It was red in colour, but even with the bright coat of paint, would've been hard to spot unless a person was actively looking for it. Pītā had been working on it for years, ever since he'd discovered that his spider-sense was actually present on a certain wavelength.

He'd made the discovery by messing around with his aunt's radio, reconfiguring and strengthening the signal, enabling it to reach frequencies it was not supposed to reach. He'd suffered from a particularly bad headache that day, with dizziness and nausea setting in. He'd stayed in bed, his curtains drawn to block out the sunlight, while Aunt Mei kindly brought him piping hot food. It was one of those instances in which he'd taken things a little too far, but the silver lining he'd gotten out of his crazy migraine, was the spider-tracer.

A device specifically designed for the use of tracking things, be it people, objects, whatever he fancied. It worked in a way that when attached to a chosen target, it activated, emitting a frequency that spoke and mingled with his spider-sense. The closer the target, the more intense the buzzing he'd get in the back of his skull and vice versa. Nothing revolutionary but all in all, not bad for a twelve year old.

Pītā switched off the soldering iron he'd been using, placing the tool back in its safety compartment of coiled metal. "That should just about do it, spider-tracer MK 1 is ready to go." The lad boasted, pulling his goggles off and casting them aside.

He picked up the tiny device, careful not to break the years of toil and hard work with his incalculable strength. He took a good long look at the device resembling an articulated spider, the creature of the animal kingdom that gave him his amazing powers. The young genius' proud moment was interrupted as two heartbeats entered his ears, thumping at a steady, even pace.

Pītā quickly pocketed the small invention, storing it in one of the many compartments on his red flak jacket. Quickly pulling his dark blue mask over his jaw and nose, the spider turned to the sliding glass door on the other side of his room. As expected, both Naruto and Sakura dropped in from above, most likely from the latter's apartment, landing deftly on Pītā's balcony.

Naruto waved with a grin, before quickly sliding the door open and waltzing into his bedroom. "Hey, you're up! You know what today is, right?" The blonde eagerly pestered his teammate, approaching the boy as he sat at one of the messiest desks he'd ever seen.

Sakura diligently stepped into his room too, hands held in front of her in quite a reserved manner. She'd never been in his room before, so didn't really know how to act. Looking around, it was relatively tidy, save for the workspace in front of Pītā. A workspace consisting of massive clumps of paper and the occasional scroll, an open toolbox almost brimming with tools and an empty plate.

The red and blue Shinobi arched an eyebrow and appeared quizzical, switching his desk lamp off before standing to his full height. "It's not your birthday, is it?" Pītā queried, confusing Naruto for a solid second.

The messy haired blonde shook his head, his excitement and enthusiasm replaced by surprise. "What? No, today's the day of the Chūnin Exams!" Naruto shot back, reminding his friend of the big event.

Pītā appeared relieved, wiping his forehead with a hidden smirk. "It's a good thing too; I forgot to get you a present." He mocked, moving away from the pair and towards the door of his bedroom.

Sakura had to resist the urge to roll her eyes, was there ever a time when he wasn't cracking jokes?

"You haven't been looking forward to it? It's been all we could talk about all week!" Naruto exclaimed, stunned about his teammate's lack of joy.

Pītā cocked a thumb towards the empty plate on his desk, prompting his blue eyed pal to arch an eyebrow. "I was looking forward to my aunt's pancakes, needless to say, I was not disappointed." The twelve year old jested, though was speaking nothing but truth.

His aunt's pancakes had been absolutely divine…

Naruto turned his head to glance at Sakura; she simply closed her eyes for a moment before waving off his concerns. "You should know by now that he's just teasing, Naruto." The pink haired girl reminded the lad, drawing a shrug out of him.

More often than not, he didn't know when Pītā was messing around or when he was being completely serious. "Yeah, yeah, I get it." Naruto muttered, folding his arms as the spider stuck his head around the frame of his bedroom door.

"Aunt Mei, I'm headed out! Exam time, wish me luck!" Pītā yelled out, his voice carrying downstairs and alerting his guardian.

Mei Pākā stood at the bottom of the stairs, a slightly concerned look etched into her complexion. "All right, Pītā but whatever you do, be careful." She spoke, worry lacing her motherly tone.

Pītā was about to reply when both Naruto and Sakura stuck their heads around the door frame, two heads now floating below his own. "Hi, Ms Pākā!" Naruto beamed, eyes closed and grin splitting his face.

"Good morning, Ms Pākā." Sakura greeted as well, a friendly smile lighting up her face as Pītā rolled his eyes.

Mei nodded her head at the pair, Pītā's little friends and teammates. "Hello, you two. I hope Pītā hasn't been giving you any trouble, I know how difficult he can be." She stated knowingly, earning a muffled groan out of her nephew.

Naruto was the first to answer, his blue eyes flickering away from the woman as he thought. "Now that you mention it…" he wondered, though his muse was discarded as the spider cut in.

Pītā had had just about enough of the niceties, dragging Naruto away from the door with little effort. "Okay, I think that's enough out of you. Chūnin Exams, remember?" The brunette jolted his pal's memory, earning an enthusiastic grin from the ninja.

"Right! We need to get going, it's almost nine!" Naruto exclaimed loudly, turning on his heel to dart straight out of Pītā's room.

The brown eyed Shinobi watched his comrade leap off of his balcony, before booking it himself. "Let's move, Haruno." Pītā remarked, flipping off of his balcony and out of sight.

Sakura nodded before turning back to Mei and smiling brightly, addressing a woman she'd known for most of her life. "We can handle him, Ms Pākā." Sakura assured her neighbour, her mother's friend.

Mei nodded; she knew how sensible the girl was. "Sakura, you've known Pītā since the two of you were little. He's got a good head on his shoulders, but that mouth of his… just make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. Same goes for Naruto, those two together; it's a recipe for disaster." She claimed, though did purely out of the worry she held for her nephew.

Sakura understood perfectly, she was the one stuck with them. "I'll do my best, Ms Pākā." She left with a friendly wave, crossing Pītā's room and stepping out onto his balcony.

The Kunoichi carefully slid his sliding glass door shut, before she turned and caught sight of her teammates waiting for her at the end of the street. The Academy loomed a few blocks ahead, the exams waiting to be tackled by the youth of Konoha. Sakura was still anxious, though she'd been training with Naruto and Pītā all week long.

With her brow furrowed, she hopped over Pītā's balcony and landed deftly on the concrete below. Pītā had been encouraging her all week, giving her a hand in Taijutsu while they continued to work on his Chakra control. Neither had gotten the hang of it yet, though Sakura actually felt a little tougher than she used to.

The girl attributed that to the numerous sparing sessions with the spider, even though he claimed to have been holding back, he hit tremendously hard. So hard in fact, that it usually only took one blow to floor her. He'd helped her up each time, cracked some kind of a joke before ordering her to charge him again.

Who knows, maybe all of those scrapes and bruises would've paid off in the long run. "You coming or not?!" Naruto called out, his hands around his mouth to propel his obscenely loud voice.

Sakura was shaken from her anxious thoughts, a determined smile on her fair complexion. She didn't answer back, instead breaking into a sprint to close the distance between herself and her impatient teammates. She'd be fine, no doubt. As long as they had her back and she had theirs, there was nothing to worry about.

It was time to face the Chūnin Exams…

* * *

The Academy was a complete nightmare, its halls were filled to the brim with aspiring Chūnin, all mashed into each other and desperately trying to get to the third floor of the building. Given the way they were pushing and shoving one another, it was almost as if they'd forgotten how to be a courteous human being and instead devolved into a massive crowd of wild animals.

Sakura was the first to react, emerald eyes widening as the trio entered the building. "Everyone's going crazy; it's like pandemonium in here." She remarked, earning a concurring nod out of Naruto as he too looked upon the scene.

The blonde ninja was having trouble processing everything, he'd never seen so many people in the same place, especially with the way they were crammed together and fighting to move ahead. "Guess the exams have everyone a little… excited," he muttered, stumbling a little as he tried to find the right word to describe the odd sight.

Pītā clicked his tongue; the scene reminded him of something. "Excited ain't the word I'd use, buddy. They're like cattle being corralled… in fact…" The boy arched an eyebrow as he side-eyed his friends, a joke right on the tip of his tongue.

Sakura immediately caught it, she knew that look all too well. "Don't," she bluntly ordered, prompting her friend to raise his hands in defence and shrug.

"What?" Pītā snapped back, a slight chuckle escaping his lips as a grin threatened to crack beneath his mask.

The pink haired Kunoichi folded her arms and glared at him, she was no idiot. "You were going to 'moo'," she accused, frowning further as Pītā struggled to hold his mirth in.

The boy retained his innocence, his chest jittering with every laugh that slipped out of his mouth. "I was not," he responded, weaving his words between the momentary breaks in laughter.

Sakura rolled her eyes; there was no point in denying it when she'd clearly caught him out. "You so were, Pītā." She pressured, causing him to throw his arms out and to the side.

Finally, he relented. "Okay, fine, I was gonna 'moo'. There's my confession, happy? Man, you just wanna suck the joy out of everything." Pītā broke; it hurt his insides trying to hide his chortling.

Sakura simply sighed, was he ever going to take anything seriously?

Naruto on the other hand, who'd been cracking up along with Pītā, turned his attention back to the hustle and bustle before them. "Speaking of joy, race you!" He yelled out, not even giving his two friends the time to accept his challenge.

Sakura placed her hand to her forehead, as if silently asking 'why her?'

Pītā cocked a thumb towards the blonde, who'd already booked it and had begun making his way through the crowd of visiting and fellow Genin alike. "Kids, huh?" He snarked, drawing a furrow of the brow out of Sakura as she pushed past him and followed after Naruto.

"Oh, like you're any better." She responded, drawing a smirk out of the spider as he towed her.

The pair of ninja managed to manoeuvre their way through the dense crowd of packed Genin, having to mutter the occasional 'excuse me', though Pītā opted for the more blunt approach and told the odd Shinobi to 'watch where they were going'. Needless to say, the kid was already receiving a few hard glares by the time he and Sakura reached the third floor of the Academy.

Brunette and pink found blonde, looking upon something with a deep frown. Before either of them enquired as to what was wrong with the lad, a dull thud drew their attention as a boy garbed in green skidded along the glossy wooden floor.

Sent into the waiting arms of a young girl, the boy grunted as the girl checked to see if he was all right. Two Genin blocked the door to what was supposedly room 301, though for some reason, Pītā's spider-sense was telling him that something was off. He glanced back towards the drama and folded his arms; he held a strong dislike for bullies but waited to see how things played out.

"So… you wanna take the Chūnin Exams? Nah, I'm just not seeing it." The first Genin, a brunette with black eyes, stated, not at all impressed with the weak ninja before him.

The second Genin, with his wild black hair and squinted eyes, agreed with a smirk. "I think giving up's a viable option for these guys," he concurred, folding his arms as he looked upon the downed pair.

Pītā's eyes narrowed, he couldn't stand punks that picked on anyone, let alone people that couldn't defend themselves. Though, he also had to wonder. If the boy with the frighteningly shiny bowl hair-cut and the girl with buns in her hair couldn't stand up to fellow Genin, then how were they supposed to manage the Chūnin Exams?

The spider threw that thought aside when the girl rose to her feet, fists balled and a frown on her lips. "Please, we don't want any trouble. Just let us pass, that's all we're asking." She pleaded, approaching the pair bravely.

Pītā felt it before he saw it, the tell-tale tingle of his spider-sense telling him that something bad was about to happen. And the entire point of his spider-sense, at least he thought so, was to either avoid or stop whatever the bad thing was. When the dark haired Genin, with his stupid spiky hair reeled back, Pītā chose to do the latter.

The girl shut her eyes and braced herself for the impact, like she wasn't even going to try and dodge it. The brunette felt a sudden rush of air, which didn't make much sense to her because she was indoors, but waited for the contact to come. When it didn't, she opened her eyes in slight confusion.

Her eyes, dark brown in colour, just like Pītā's, widened a fraction when a red and blue Shinobi was standing in front of her and holding onto the fist that had been intended for her cheek. He was tall, taller than her but standing around the same height as her teammate, the boy in green. She hadn't even noticed his presence, too focused on the two Shinobi blocking her path.

He'd noticed her though, and had decided to act whilst everyone else looked on in surprise and rising interest. "You were gonna hit her? You were gonna hit her… for what? For trying to walk through that door? Is that what you are? Hall monitors? Glorified hall monitors, my, aren't we important." The boy, masked so she couldn't make out his features, accosted.

He was holding the fist like it was nothing, like there was no effort to it and it was simply a formality. "Pītā," the girl heard from behind, and glanced over her shoulder to see a pink haired Kunoichi express concern.

Apparently, the mystery boy's name was Pītā. "I'm busy," he harshly replied, not aimed towards her but it was simply a bi-product of his irritation.

The Genin almost buckled as Pītā tightened his grip, grabbing hold of the guy's wrist in an attempt to make him let go. "Dude, you're breaking my hand! Let go, you're gonna crush it!" He yelled, scratching at the boy's arm frantically.

Pītā felt the lad's bones weaken in his grasp, almost cracking under the pressure. "Doesn't feel good when someone stronger than you decides to pick a fight, does it?" He asked rhetorically, feeling several bones about to snap as they reached they're breaking point.

He wouldn't have admitted it, but there was something satisfying about reducing a bully to a quivering mess. Though, that thought process changed when he felt a gentle hand touch his upper arm, halting him from squeezing any further. Pītā took his fierce gaze off of the Genin to find one of the bully's victims right next to him.

It was the girl, dark brunette hair and dark brown eyes just like him. "Pītā… that's your name, right? Pītā, I need you to let go, okay?" She requested, the light contact on his arm enough to tell her that it was all solid.

His eyes lost their edge, and softened once more. "I just thought—" He attempted to reply, having lost himself a little.

Admittedly, there was something primal about putting a bully in his place. "I know, and I really appreciate it. But it's not worth it; he's not worth it, okay? Just let go, I think he got the message." She pointed out, citing her attacker as he could barely keep himself upright due to the pain.

Pītā agreed, he let himself lose it a little bit. "You're the boss," he muttered, his iron-like grip loosening as the boy wrenched his arm back in sheer agony.

The Genin's pal narrowed his eyes at Pītā, but opted to check on his friend instead of pursuing the conflict further. The spider turned away from the pair, his full attention on the girl by his side. She was short, though stood taller than Sakura. He vaguely remembered both her and her friend, the one with obscenely large eyebrows. They'd been in the class above theirs back at the Academy, so Pītā had to guess that she was older than him.

"Thanks… for defending me," the girl expressed, despite it not being necessary, she was pleased that there was someone who wasn't just willing to stand around.

The thought of not acting did not occur to Pītā, it never would. "I wasn't just gonna stand by and let him hit you," he replied, his voice having lost its edge.

She nodded; it wasn't hard to see that he was the gentlemanly type. "Yeah, I… kinda got that feeling. Your name's Pītā, right?" The thirteen year old queried, earning a curt nod out of her 'rescuer'.

Pītā had completely forgotten about that sudden rush of anger, instead finding himself content as he talked to the girl. "Pītā Pākā, yeah." He introduced himself, extending a gloved hand for the taking.

The girl did just that, finding him loosely gripping her hand, possibly for her benefit. "Tenten Tanaka, guess our parents were fans of alliteration." Tenten joked, as a smile tugged at Pītā's lips, hidden beneath his dark blue mask.

He was staring, he didn't mean to stare but he knew a pretty girl when he saw one. It made him feel kind of bad, silently admiring her. Though, there was a similar look in Tenten's equally brown eyes, a light blush appearing on her cheeks. Naruto and Sakura were kind of at a loss, standing with the crowd as Tenten's green-clad friend hoisted himself to his feet, having been forgotten about.

Pītā hadn't yet withdrawn his hand, though neither had Tenten. "You know, you were really fast on your feet back there." She remarked, impressed by his complete lack of hesitance in coming to her aid.

He nodded, scoffing at the sheer thought of leaving her to fend for herself. "Pretty girl like you, I'd have to be crazy not to be." The Shinobi boldly responded, causing the colour on Tenten's cheeks to intensify and deepen.

Sakura folded her arms as she watched the scene unfold, a slight hint of jealousy dwelling within her as she frowned. She was reminded of the day Pītā called her cute, and was soured because of it. What, did he just go around calling every girl he saw pretty? She didn't know why she felt such a way, but with her brow knotted and a frown present on her lips, it was clear that she did not like it one bit.

Naruto on the other hand, was slightly impressed. "Wow… he works fast," the whisker decorated blonde commented, as if awed by Pītā's bold actions.

Sakura felt her disposition darken, her complexion growing moodier along with it. "Don't encourage him," she mumbled, green eyes fraught with envy.

Surrounding ninja had been watching the event unfold, namely one Sasuke Uchiha and his teammates, Sai Toriyama and Yakumo Kurama. The self-appointed leader of the squad stepped forward, hands firmly hidden in his hoody pockets and an unimpressed line etched into his lips. Frankly, he was getting a little tired of all of the unnecessary drama. He brushed by Sakura, and the girl froze because of it, the sudden appearance of her crush quelling any green feelings she was experiencing.

Sasuke addressed the two Genin blocking the door to room 301, one of them nursing his severely bruised hand. "If the comedian can make this idiot's knees shake, he can't be that tough. We're here for the exams, now step aside before I make you." He threatened, black eyes narrowing as if daring them to challenge him.

The first Genin, the boy who wasn't too busy holding his hand in unbridled pain, retaliated. "Let's see you back that mouth up, wimp!" He yelled, spinning on the spot to lash his leg out.

The kick was aimed squarely at Sasuke's head, but the lad kept his cool as he let his own leg fly in an attempt to block the attack. They were inches away from making contact with one another, when they were suddenly halted in their tracks by the supposed weakling garbed in green. With his unusually large eyes and black, bushy eyebrows, the kid had a thin line on his lips as he held both Sasuke and the Genin's ankle for a split second.

Everybody present gasped at the surprising show of speed, especially from the boy who had been getting the stuffing kicked out of him not moments earlier. His movement had been too fast for anyone to see with the naked eye, well… almost anyone. Due to his enhanced senses, Pītā had followed the green spandex-clad teen's actions with no difficultly. He had to admit that his speed was impressive, but it wasn't anything he couldn't do himself, as evidenced seconds prior.

The oddly looking Genin let go of both ankles, allowing Sasuke to lower his foot and the two bullies to quickly use the distraction to disappear. "I'll dispel the Genjutsu," Yakumo stepped forward and brought her hands together, closing her brown eyes as she performed a hand sign.

A short pulse emanated from her hands, the illusion proving child's play to her. Pītā's spider-sense buzzed and he noticed that the sign that had previously read 'room 301' now read 'room 201', they'd been an entire floor down the entire time, Genjutsu used to dupe them. Sasuke was too preoccupied with staring at the boy in green's arm to really notice it, speculating that he must have had a huge amount of Chakra in his arm to have stopped his kick.

As Naruto and Sakura walked forward to join Pītā once again, Tenten and another boy dressed in a khaki shirt and dark brown shorts joined their green-clad comrade. His hair was dark brunette in colour and long in length, just about reaching the small of his back before it was tied into a loose pony-tail. The most noticeable feature about him though was his light, lavender tinted eyes. It was Neji Hyūga, Hinata's older and much more abrasive cousin.

"That was completely unnecessary," Neji simply droned, frowning as his fellow teammate balled his bandage-wrapped fist and gazed Sakura's way.

Tenten sighed; the two of them were at constant odds with one another despite their comradery. "I had to, I couldn't let others show how strong they were without doing something myself." The boy defended, earning a dismissive wave from the only female member of their team.

Tenten didn't blame him, they'd originally wanted to play things low-key and come off as weak but none of them had expected someone to interfere, least of all almost break one of the Genin's hands. "Cat's out of the bag, doesn't matter now." She chimed, watching as Neji folded his shoulders in displeasure, all the while staring at Pītā.

The boy in green on the other hand, couldn't take his circular eyes off of the cherry blossom in front of him, the most enchanting girl he'd ever met. He'd been watching throughout that entire altercation, studying the way she was completely enveloped by both Sasuke Uchiha and Pītā Pākā. He'd only just been aware of her existence, but it was love at first sight. And the boy wanted to impress her, wanted Sakura to look at him the same way she looked at the other two boys.

With a light blush creeping up on his cheeks, the lad completely blew by Sasuke, much to the kid's dismay and approached Team 7. He stood around Pītā's height and despite his boyish looks, must have been older. He walked confidently, but Pītā saw before he even reached them that he was trembling slightly. Trembling about what, he wasn't sure but the spider wasn't sure he liked the way the kid was staring at Sakura.

With Naruto and Pītā standing on either side of her, the former threw a curious glance the latter's way and received a simple shrug in return. Sakura didn't notice the little back and forth, her green eyes fixated on the boy approaching her, fixated on him because she had no idea what to expect and just who he was.

Eventually, after what felt like frolicking across a fresh, flower-filled meadow, the boy reached her. "Sakura… is that your name?" He simply queried, though was standing perhaps a tad too close for her liking.

He was definitely standing way too close for Pītā's liking, and the lad folded his arms and stuck like glue to Sakura's side. If Lee noticed the little flair, he didn't show it. Instead, he focused his full attention on the pink haired angel in front of him as she dumbly nodded.

Lee felt a swell of courage explode within him, and he grinned because of it. "Mine is Rock Lee and I… I just wanted to say that you're the most beautiful girl I've ever met!" His teeth were strikingly white, like shockingly white.

So white it was obscene, practically pinging with whiteness!

Sakura blushed, she hadn't expected it from a complete stranger but it was nice hearing it regardless. "Oh… um… thank you, Lee. That's very sweet of you," she shyly responded, causing Tenten to fold her arms and frown.

Pītā wasn't doing any better, now it was his turn to be jealous. "Wasn't expecting that," he muttered, suddenly finding himself in a little bit of a mood.

Lee on the other hand, felt as though he could've leaped right into space. "Really?! Oh, Sakura! It's settled then, from this point on, you will be my girlfriend!" He exclaimed, stunning Sakura and agitating Pītā.

"What?!" Sakura yelled, apparently having missed something in the little conversation they were sharing.

Lee was taken aback when Sakura backed away from him, receiving a severe case of stink eye from the ninja garbed in red and blue. "Lee, that's sweet of you and all but… we've only just met. I'm not the kind of girl that goes around dating strangers, so… no, Lee, I won't be your girlfriend." After a brief moment to catch her thoughts and calm herself down, Sakura responded quite calmly.

She didn't know him, she didn't know anything about him but he seemed like a nice guy. As such, she didn't want to hurt his feelings and decided to let him down gently. Even with the way she handled the bizarre situation, Lee still appeared disheartened.

He bowed his head as an overwhelming sense of shame hit him in waves, he wasn't doing it right. "As much as it pains me to say… you're right, Sakura. A man should not approach a woman and ask her to go out with him right out of the blue; it is most unchivalrous of him." Lee concluded, his words serving to calm both Sakura and a previously jealous Pītā down.

They both relaxed and Sakura assumed a gentle smile, encouraging Lee to raise his head once more. "I'm glad you understand, Lee. Maybe we could just be friends instead?" She held out a hand and was once again caught off-guard as the boy took it, before bowing in her direction.

"Friends it is, Sakura. I realize now that we need to spend more time with one another, in order to properly learn about each other. It will take time, possibly countless years before I'm ready to once again try and earn your love. Until that time comes, friendship is more than good enough for me." He caved, earning an uneasy smile out of Sakura and a narrow of the eyes from Pītā.

She nodded, taking her hand back before he could kiss it. "Umm… sure, that's fine… I guess." She murmured, watching as he left with a wave to reassume his side by his teammates.

Sakura turned to both Naruto and Pītā, who'd watched the entire exchange as it unfolded. "He comes off a little strong, doesn't he?" She blushed at the attention, how out of left field it had been.

It was completely unexpected, but she'd heard some of the nicest things she ever heard from Lee. Pītā didn't answer, not with words anyway. Instead, he simply nodded, his mood a little sullen all of a sudden. Naruto on the other hand, gave a grin and nodded his head.

"Did you see those eyebrows? He's super weird, but… I mean, everyone's a little weird, right?" He reasoned, glancing at Pītā as he still remained silent on the matter.

Sakura rolled her eyes, she could attest to that. "With you two for teammates, weird is my element. Come on, let's get going already." She urged, headed for the stairs that lead up to the third floor.

Naruto, with his hands behind his head, side-eyed his spider-powered pal for a moment. "You know… you're a lot of things, Pītā but I didn't peg you for the jealous type." He commented, drawing one of the blankest looks he'd ever received from his comrade.

It wasn't hard to notice, Pītā had been on-guard during the entire exchange. Though, why he felt jealous that someone was making a move on Sakura puzzled him, it wasn't like they were boyfriend and girlfriend. Besides, they were ninja; they didn't need to worry about that kind of stuff just yet. At least, that was what Naruto thought.

"Thin ice, whiskers." Pītā bluntly replied, before strolling ahead to catch up to his female teammate.

Naruto gaped, before frowning as he jogged after him. "What? I was just sayin'…" he muttered, leaving behind the drama of the second floor as they made their way to the actual Chūnin Exams.

Unbeknownst to both Team 3 and Team 7, the two Genin bullies had been watching them from afar, at a safe distance further down the hall. While the second Genin was still holding his hand, wincing as it ached and throbbed, the first furrowed his brow.

Finally, he spoke. "Those were Kakashi and Guy's kids, right? They're a weird bunch," he evaluated, turning around to check on his friend when he received no reply.

The boy was still too concerned about his hand, as it had begun to turn purplish in colour. "How is it?" He queried, a little bit of concern peppered throughout his words.

The second Genin shook his head, trying to keep it steady as every single smidgen of movement seemed to set it off. "It's been better, maybe I shouldn't have tried to sell it so hard. That kid's got monster strength," he acknowledged, earning a slight smirk out of his friend.

"He's a spider, what'd you expect? At least the exams will be worth watching this year," he pointed out, encouraging a smile of realization out of his pal.

Simultaneously, as if on cue, both ninja raised a hand and performed a single hand sign. Two plumes of smoke revealed their true forms, standing at twice their previous height and age. They were fully grown Chūnin, named Izumo Kamizuki and Kotetsu Hagane and had disguised themselves as two hot-headed Genin in order to present a little pre-exam challenge to the examinees.

Suffice to say, it hadn't exactly panned out quite the way it was supposed to. "Overzealous rookie Genin? Entertainment at its finest," the second Chūnin, the man with the busted hand, remarked.

But first thing was first, he seriously needed to get his hand looked at.

* * *

It took seconds for Team 7 to make their way up one more flight of stairs, reaching the end of a long and rather narrow corridor before they halted in their tracks. Standing at the end of the brightly lit hallway, natural light filtering in by way of the few glass paned windows, was the tall and ever enigmatic form of Kakashi Hatake.

He was standing completely still, almost unnerving in a way. And for once, he wasn't masked-nose deep in that dirty book of his, instead staring at the end of the hallway with an expectant grey eye. Pītā was the first to make a sound, though it wasn't in the form of words. He clicked his tongue, a little surprised by the man's appearance. In their haste to reach the third floor, Pītā hadn't noticed the subtle presence of a fourth heartbeat, heavier and slower than their own in its pace.

"How long have you been standing there?" Sakura questioned, genuinely happy to see her mentor but a little put-off by that ability he used all too often, to appear out of thin air.

Kakashi nodded at the pink haired girl, a fond smile hidden beneath that dark mask of his. "It's nice to see you too, though I'm a little surprised you've shown, Sakura. Naruto, Pītā, I expected your submission, you two never could turn down a challenge." The silver haired ninja evaluated, prompting both lads to exchange glances and smirk.

Sakura on the other hand, appeared somewhat disheartened, a ghost of a frown gracing her young features. "Yeah… guess I changed my mind, sensei." She mumbled his way, resulting in Kakashi urging the three of them to step closer.

His team, his students, did just that and joined him by the double door he was guarding. "Apologies if my words hurt your feelings, Sakura. It's just… I noticed the hesitation, the doubt lingering on your face when I gave you the submission forms for the exams. It's perfectly natural to feel such things, especially at your age. But you seem to have overcome those doubts… how, if you don't mind my asking." Kakashi inquired, his curiosity having gotten the better of him.

The last time he'd seen his students, had any sort of contact with them, was just as he'd said. He'd presented them with the submission forms, made it perfectly clear that it wasn't mandatory to enter the exams and left it in their small but capable hands. Naturally, Naruto had been jumping for joy, the prospect of a real challenge practically making him salivate.

Pītā had been a little more resigned, though Kakashi knew full well that the spider was a brave one. Perhaps a little too headstrong just as Naruto was, but brave all the same. No, Sakura had been the one he'd been worried about. Even when arguing his case to Iruka, there'd been doubt in his mind pertaining to the young girl.

She was fragile, nowhere near as strong or as durable as Pītā, and couldn't let go of the rules like Naruto. Kakashi admitted, it was as clear as day, that in order for her to be able to keep up with her teammates, she had a hell of a long way to go. But there was a strength there, somewhere deep down in her core, just waiting to be let out.

She had to find it, will it to the surface and use it. Even deciding to tackle the exams was a step in the right direction, and Kakashi was proud of her for that. Sakura had found courage somewhere, a small but helpful boost on her quest to become a great Kunoichi, just like Lady Tsunade. Yes, he still remembered her words on that day. Just like he remembered Naruto's, just like he remembered Pītā's.

Sakura let her emerald green eyes lose contact with Kakashi's cold grey one, staring at the toes poking out of her blue sandals. "I just… someone gave me some advice that I really needed to hear, that's all." She murmured, a soft brush of pink warming her cheeks.

Kakashi arched an eyebrow but caught it all the same, a split second flicker of the eyes that anyone less observant would've missed. But he wasn't just anyone, and he'd noticed the brief glance in Pītā's direction. Kakashi chose not to acknowledge it, but understood all the same. Pītā had put that mouth of his to good use, and actually encouraged someone rather than cracked wise.

It was becoming a rather common thing; he remembered their first mission and Pītā's kind words to Naruto, right after they'd been attacked by those two Chūnin. "I see… well, all that matters now is that you're here. It's a good thing too, as now you can all formally register for the Chūnin Exams." Kakashi explained, moving on as he placed his hands firmly in his pants pockets.

Sakura's eyes suddenly shot back up towards her teacher, filled with confusion as she tilted her head slightly. "Sensei?" She asked, not quite following his words.

It was understandable; he'd purposely left quite an important piece of information out when he'd given them the submission forms. "Did any of you notice a recurring theme on your way up here? Naruto, how about you?" Kakashi urged the lad to try and answer his question, eyebrows raised expectantly.

The blonde Shinobi wasn't the smartest child he'd ever come across, but that didn't matter to Kakashi. If he'd wanted prodigy ninja, he would have campaigned to teach Sasuke Uchiha. What he received instead, was a work in progress. A ninja who, just like Sakura, had a long way to go. Even Pītā with his many amazing abilities, was not perfect and still had a lot to learn.

So things like this, a little question or brain teaser if you will, served to sharpen his students ever so slightly. Naruto didn't consider himself to be smart by any means, and Kakashi wanted to change that. If pushed, even ever so slightly, they could achieve great things. And for the moment, Kakashi wanted Naruto to answer a simple question.

The boy pondered, thinking back to when they'd entered the Academy and joined the masses of aspiring Chūnin. Sasuke had been there, along with his teammates, Sai and Yakumo. They'd met Tenten and her teammates, Lee and Neji, Hinata's older cousin.

And then… looking at his own teammates, standing there with arched eyebrows, staring at him like he was crazy, Naruto snapped his fingers. "Teams of three!" The boy yelled, blue eyes bright and grin wide as could be.

Kakashi smiled, the corners of his lips struggling to stay straight. "Correct, Naruto, you're getting sharper by the day." He commended the boy for noticing, for paying attention to his surroundings which was always a plus on the road to becoming a ninja.

A light bulb lit up over Sakura's head, as if she'd just had an epiphany of some kind. "Only three man squads can take the exams, it's so obvious." She muttered, having been totally distracted by her brief run-in with Lee, the boy that had immediately tried to hit on her.

Kakashi nodded, taking his lone eye off of Naruto, the boy standing with his hands on his waist and chest puffed out proudly. "That's the way it's always been, I doubt it'll change anytime soon." He reasoned, shrugging as Pītā nodded.

"If it ain't broke—" the comedian began, but found himself cut off by his teacher.

"Don't fix it, precisely." He calmly added, agreeing with the lad's short but extremely appropriate terminology.

At that point, Sakura had put two and two together and was understandably a little confused by her sensei. "So… you lied to us? You lied to me?" She queried, brow knotted and tone carrying the tiniest hint of betrayal.

Kakashi knew how the girl would've felt; she was a bit of a touchy one. "Lie is such a harsh word, no; I simply mislead you by withholding information. I did it for your own good, Sakura. I wanted you to weigh the possibilities yourself and not feel pressured by Naruto and Pītā," the man defended his choice.

Sakura still wasn't sure how to feel about it, as he had been right, she'd been worried sick over the exams and what they might've entailed. But still, she didn't want to be seen as the weak link of the team, the fragile one that had to be stepped around and handled with care. She wanted to be held in the same regard as her teammates, her comrades, and not to a lower standard.

A hand rested upon her shoulder and Sakura found herself gazing up at her teacher, who looked right down at her solemnly. "Sakura, what I did was not meant to upset you. I did just as any other teacher would've done; I wanted to encourage you to make the decision on your own. And for that to have happened, I needed you to let go of my hand and start walking by yourself." He stated, employing an even softer tone than he usually did.

Sakura found that his explanation and reasoning helped, she didn't want to have to constantly depend on someone else. "So… did I pass the test?" She asked her mentor, earning a quiet chuckle in response.

Kakashi's hand left her shoulder as he nodded, causing a proud smile to form on Sakura's lips. "With flying colours, as I knew you would." He answered, having put his utmost faith in his only female student.

The famed copy-ninja took a step back and looked over his three pupils, how far they'd come. "I want you all to know that… I don't do this often, well… never actually. But… I'm proud of you, all three of you. Naruto, Sakura and Pītā… couldn't ask for a better team." Kakashi affirmed, drawing smiles out of the trio of twelve year olds.

Naruto stepped forward; making Kakashi involuntarily flinch… the man wasn't that comfortable with hugs. "We haven't come this far to let you down, sensei! Believe it!" He bellowed, repeating something of a catchphrase that he'd taken a liking to.

The spider of the team nudged his arm, smirking beneath his mask as he garnered the boy's attention. "You should get that patented," Pītā suggested, earning a dumbfounded look in return from Naruto.

Sakura rolled her eyes, folding her arms as Pītā felt himself cracking up. "Here we go again, do you ever turn it off?" She pestered him, interrupting his little bout of laughter.

The lad shrugged, calming down enough to stare down at the shorter girl. "What? You don't like the jokes?" The brunette responded, once again engaging his regular argument partner.

The girl with pink hair, no matter how hard she tried, could never avoid being sucked into his little game. "There's a time and a place, Pītā." She scolded, prompting a scoff out of the kid.

This time however, Naruto came to his pal's aid. "She's right, dude. I have you pencilled in for an appointment with a whoopee cushion next Tuesday," he jested, earning a hearty laugh from the spider.

"He speaks my language," Pītā grinned, raising his hand for a fist bump.

Naruto was all too keen to oblige, having earned it in Pītā's own humble opinion. "What language is that? The native language of your home planet?" Sakura hit back, stunning Pītā for a solid second.

That sheer surprise, that she'd actually attempted to fight fire with fire for once, gave way to Pītā placing a hand on her petit shoulder. "You're learning," he mocked, laughing all the more as Sakura batted his hand away from her and frowned.

Arms folded and fuming, Sakura marched herself past Kakashi and through the doors behind him. Naruto followed soon after, himself having succumbed to a sudden bout of fits and giggles. Then lastly, Pītā towed after the pair of them, wiping a non-existent tear from his eye in the meantime.

He turned to Kakashi before he entered the great unknown, having calmed himself down enough to be able to form words. "Don't worry, coach, we'll be fine. I'll score a three pointer in your honour," the kid quipped, disappearing from view as the door shut behind him.

Even though they were gone, Kakashi was still able to hear the familiar bickering of his team beyond the door. "Hmm… a part of me hopes they never change," the Jōnin remarked, nobody but himself around to hear his musings.

* * *

Inside room 301, Team 7 left the quiet serenity of the hallway behind them and were reintroduced to the sheer number of competition, ninja teams from all four corners of the world, trying to make the jump in promotion from Genin to Chūnin. Given the fact that almost all ninja teams usually stuck to a two male/one female ratio, most of the participants were rough looking boys, glaring at the three rookie newcomers.

Naruto and Sakura gaped; there must have been over a hundred other candidates alone in the room. Pītā on the other hand, winced slightly. He didn't know whether it was just him or what, but the room smelled terrible. So many people crammed together in such a tight space, which betrayed the room's size because it was actually rather large.

"Man, you can practically smell the testosterone." He quipped, though his joke barely registered as Naruto dumbly nodded.

The boy agreed, there weren't as many kids downstairs in the lower hallways. "No kidding," he murmured.

Sakura had to swallow the lump in her throat, all in an effort to formulate words. "Is it just me… or are they intentionally staring at us?" She whispered behind a hand, the classic gesture when someone didn't want to be heard.

Pītā snorted, he didn't find them so scary. "New kids on the block, remember? They're just trying to intimidate us, Sakura. From where I'm standing, they all look like a bunch of slack-jawed cupcakes." He remarked, though was taken aback when Sakura gripped the front of his flak-jacket, bringing his masked face dangerously close to her own panicked one.

She seemed quite frantic, at least to him. "What're you doing?! Are you trying to get us killed?!" Sakura scolded; uttered in such a harsh whisper that Pītā had to squint slightly.

Thankfully for them, nobody had heard his little overconfident outburst. "I mean… not intentionally, no." The boy reasoned, not liking the vein that was throbbing on Sakura's forehead.

Naruto decided to stay out of it; he got enough grief as it was without Pītā pulling him into things. Sakura was about to respond to the spider's unique brand of idiocy, when a high-pitched squeal caught both her and the boy at her mercy's attention.

Ino Yamanaka looked like she was about to faint, standing with her teammates, Shikamaru Nara and Chōji Akimichi. The two lads didn't look particularly interested, with Chōji eating a bag of chips as per usual and Shikamaru, well… he was never interested in anything. Ino though, was an entirely different matter altogether.

She pointed at the ridiculously close proximity of Pītā and Sakura, an eye twitching as both teammates suddenly realised what she was getting at. "First the hand-holding and now… this?! You were about to kiss each other?!" Ino yelled the question, not quite believing the scene in front of her very own ice blue eyes.

Sakura's green orbs were as wide as saucers, her cheeks heating up like a furnace. She opened her mouth to speak, but simply choked on the air instead. No words came to mind, her brain grinding to a resounding halt, failing her completely. She was speechless, a hot wave of embarrassment washing over her as eyes all over the room scrutinized her to see just what was going on.

Luckily, Pītā rarely ever got embarrassed. "You see the mask, right? The mask covering my mouth? Be pretty hard to kiss someone with this bad boy on, right, Ino?" He posited the question without missing a beat, turning things around and instantly putting the blonde on the spot.

Ino stuttered and stammered, the way he'd completely side-stepped her accusations dumbfounding her. "I—I… ugh! You always wear that stupid mask, you weirdo!" She shot back, forgetting about her pink haired rival for a moment.

Pītā had drawn her focus with expert precision; all he had to do at that point was rile her up. "Man, it's good to hear your voice, ice queen. No, wait, hang on… yep, my ears are bleeding." He knocked back the ball in their little game of verbal tennis, folding his arms as Ino scowled at him.

Shikamaru sighed as Ino balled her fists, ready to pounce on the spider at a moment's notice. "Unbelievable," he muttered, side-eyeing Chōji when the kid stopped eating for a split second.

"Really? I think it's kinda funny," the rather large brunette admitted, earning a perplexing look out of his comrade.

Shikamaru wasn't sure what the kid was getting at, whenever Ino and Pītā got into it, it was all the girl could talk about for the rest of the day. "You're kidding," he flatly stated, resulting in a shake of the head from the Akimichi boy.

Chōji made his case, finishing off his last potato chip before he balled the empty bag up and stuffed it into one of his pockets. "No, see, whenever they get into one of their little shouting matches, Ino's always so mad at Pītā that she doesn't bother with us for the rest of the day. Granted, we have to listen to what a monumental jerk he is all day, but I get to eat in peace and you get to… do whatever it is you do." He explained, as Shikamaru arched an eyebrow, mildly impressed.

Thinking about it, Chōji was right. "Never thought of it like that," he admitted, surprised since he was usually the thinker of the team.

While Ino was losing her temper with the boy in red and blue, Sasuke and his squad, Sai and Yakumo, silently made their way through the double doors to the room. "Hey, Ino, look! It's Sasuke, go nuts!" Pītā pointed out, prompting the girl to spin on her heels.

And there to greet her, was a confused Sasuke. "Sasuke! You made it!" Ino called out, her tone lighter as all anger left her system and she ran to glomp the boy.

Sasuke froze in place, unsure how to respond as Ino wrapped both her arms around the lad's neck, smiling gleefully. "What's happening?" The boy muttered, it had been quite some time since the Academy after all.

He'd almost forgotten that she used to do this kind of thing all the time, along with Sakura. Though, curiously, Sakura didn't seem all that fussed. Sasuke was almost surprised, that she'd been the one to finally take the hint and back off. Ino on the other hand, hadn't made the connection and hadn't changed one bit.

Shikamaru sighed, having to hear Ino spout her love and admiration for the boy. "Here we go…" he closed his eyes and folded his arms, attempting to block everything out in the meantime.

A new voice spoke up, though it was a voice the rookie Genin knew well. "She still hung up on him?" Rough in its tone but young, Kiba Inuzuka left the crowd of aspiring Chūnin to stand with his fellow Leaf ninja.

Shino Aburame and Hinata Hyūga followed soon after, the former his usual cryptic self and the latter meekly fidgeting with her fingers. "Is water wet?" Pītā greeted the brunette dog user, answering his inquiry in the form of another question.

Safely nestled in the hood of Kiba's coat, lying on top of his master's messy hair, was Akamaru. The pup simply gave a toothy grin, licking Kiba's fingers as the lad attempted to scratch his head. Shino, predictively, side-stepped any niceties with a simple and apt nod. Hinata on the other hand, summoned whatever courage she had to raise her head, taking her pale lavender eyes off of her feet to greet Naruto.

"Hi… Naruto…" the girl, one of the shortest in her age range, shyly spoke.

The object of her address arched an eyebrow, spying a tint of red slowly washing over the girl's pale features. "Hey, Hinata." Naruto granted the girl the same courtesy, she was always so nice and polite, and it would've been rude of him to do any less.

Kiba grinned as he looked over his peers, Team 7, Team 9 and Team 10. "You know, this just might be fun after all. For those of us good enough to make the cut at least… right, Sasuke?" The boy, who arguably had more in common with animals than he ever did with humans, jabbed.

Sasuke in the meantime, was attempting to pry an overzealous Ino off of him. "What? Did you say something?" He questioned, almost being smothered to death by the girl, all in an attempt to make Sakura jealous.

Pītā found it funny, chuckling as he elbowed Kiba's arm. "He can't hear you, there's an Ino on his face." He mocked, drawing a heavy sigh out of Kiba.

"Ino, could you just—man, can't a guy smack talk around here? Look, we've been training like crazy, okay? That's the gist of what I'm getting at," the brunette Shinobi complained, giving up after his words did nothing to deter the girl.

Naruto hopped in instead, pointing a finger in Kiba's red painted face. "You're not the only one! What do you think we've been doing all this time?! Picking daisies?!" He hit back, catching the Inuzuka boy off-guard with his tenacity.

Hinata cut in, surprising pretty much everyone present as she usually rarely said two words. "I'm sure what Kiba meant to say was… was that we've been working hard to get here, he didn't mean anything by it, N—Naruto." She piped up, practically wilting under the boy's dumbfounded gaze.

Kiba, Shino and Pītā arched an eyebrow at the small exchange. Hinata blushing as Naruto's ocean eyes found her, how long had that been going on? Before the trio of lads could comment on it, a new voice piqued up, seemingly addressing every single one of the rookies.

"You know, you guys might want to lower the volume." The voice belonged to an older male, older than most of the other ninja that were taking the exams.

He was a teenager, probably around nineteen years old if the rookies had to guess. He had ash grey hair tied into a pony-tail and onyx black eyes, protected by a pair of black rimmed circular glasses. He sported a dark purple shirt with a high collar, a white under-shirt and dark purple pants with a white cloth waistband. His hands were protected by dark purple fingerless gloves with metal plates on the back, and he wore a blue forehead protector.

The piece of metal on the cloth housed the symbol of the Leaf, of Konoha but it was curious. Pītā had never seen him around before, didn't recognize him from anywhere else. And judging by the way everyone else was staring at him, he figured they didn't know him either.

"I mean, no offence, but all this constant bickering is only going to get you killed. You're the rookie Genin, right?" The older kid spoke, earning the ire of Ino as she placed a hand on her yet to develop hips.

Fixing the taller lad with a glare, she put her loud mouth to good use. "What's it to you, four eyes?" The blonde insulted, not liking him one bit.

The kid in question, supposedly from their own village, pushed his glasses up his nose and smirked. "My name is Kabuto Yakushi," Kabuto corrected her, his tone doing well at masking his annoyance.

Pītā cocked an eyebrow, folding his arms over his chest as his spider-sense gave off a dull buzz. "You mean, it's not Captain Obvious?" He quipped, actually sharing Ino's mentality, he didn't like him either.

Kabuto once again felt the corner of his lips twitch; they certainly were a rather… difficult bunch. "A sense of humour, good. With that kind of attitude, you'll make friends here in no time. Look around, you've already made quite the impression." He gestured, guiding youthful pre-teen eyes in the direction of fierce glares and dagger-like gazes.

Pītā clicked his tongue, for whatever reason, the guy was trying to scare them. "What if I moon them? Really give 'em something to gawk at," he jested, inciting laughs from most boys present.

Ino, Sakura and even Yakumo to a certain extent, simply glared at the clown in red and blue. Kiba, Naruto, Chōji and even Sai smiled at the joke, though Sai's seemed strange… almost forced in a manner. Sasuke, Shino and Shikamaru remained silent. Hinata blushed ever deeper, attempting to block out the mental image of a boy whipping his pants down.

"Good one," Naruto commended, sharing a laugh with his teammate.

Kabuto tolerated the immature humour, once again trying his hands at intimidating the new kids on the block. "I'd advise against that, those are Rain ninja. Very dangerous and very, very touchy." He explained, narrowing his eyes at Pītā, almost daring him to open his mouth.

Pītā obliged, unable to stop himself when something came to mind. "Maybe they just need a hug," he reasoned, a silly smirk hidden beneath that mask of his.

Once again, the joke served to dispel the tension and doubt that Kabuto was trying to build among the rookies. "Typical rookie attitude… then again, it's not your fault you don't know how things work. In fact, you kinda remind me of myself a while back." Their dull haired senior recalled, earning an annoyed look from the spider.

Pītā was starting to get agitated, from the guy himself and the fact that his spider-sense wouldn't shut up about him. "Are you still here?" He posed, quite bluntly too.

Sakura gave her comrade the eye, a silent warning telling him to cut it out and stop with the attitude. "It's Kabuto, right? Are you saying that this isn't your first time taking the exams?" She queried, having to control her unruly teammate in order to gain at least a little bit of useful information.

Kabuto stammered slightly, the cool air he had previously employed giving way to a more bashful vibe. "Uh, no actually… this is my seventh." He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck as a wash of embarrassment coursed through him.

Shikamaru, Kiba and Pītā arched an eyebrow. Heck, even Sasuke and Shino had to double take. Naruto on the other hand, felt his mouth twitch. He wanted to laugh, desperately wanted to let it all out in one glorious moment of unhindered mirth. But the boy kept his cool, covering his mouth with both his hands, all the while receiving a serious glare from Sakura in the process.

"They're bi-annual, so this will be my fourth year trying. Doesn't sound so bad when you put it like that, huh?" Kabuto laughed at his own expense, which set a couple of the rookies at ease.

At least he was a guy who knew how to laugh at himself, the same couldn't have been said for a few among them. "So… you're kind of a veteran then, right? You must know this thing inside and out, that has to count for something." Sakura replied, showcasing much more common courtesy than that of her teammates.

Naruto tried his hand at the same politeness that Sakura had wielded so well, managing to force his lips into a solid straight line. "Maybe you can give us some pointers, since you're such an expert—heh heh… hahahahaha! I can't! I thought I could but I just can't!" The boy burst, eyes firmly shut and holding his sides as his giddiness resurfaced in full.

Kabuto blinked, as the boy had to steady himself on the arm of the pink haired girl. "I guess it is kinda funny, huh?" The ninja, easily the most experienced one there, let a smile grace his face.

Sakura set her jaw as Naruto practically ragged her arm about, all in an attempt to stay on his feet through the laughter. "If you've taken the exams seven times and still haven't had any luck, then the rumours must be true. The Chūnin Exams are no laughing matter… what a drag," Shikamaru sighed, as he hadn't quite believed what everyone had been saying about the test.

The ash grey haired lad raised a finger, articulating a point. "Actually, I might be able to lend you kids a hand… with my ninja info cards." Kabuto proceeded to fish out a stack of orange playing cards, hidden inside the white sash around his waist.

Sasuke's interest piqued, he didn't know quite what the lad was getting at or why he was even bothering with them. "Enlighten us," he shortly ordered, his face as stoic as ever.

Kabuto lowered himself to his knees, carefully laying the cards out onto the solid stone floor of the room in a neat stack. "I wish it was as simple as that, but these cards are more than just an ordinary deck. They're Chakra encoded with everything I've picked up over the last four years, everything I've learned. There're a little over two hundred of them, so it hasn't been a complete waste of time." He explained to the best of his abilities, though Sasuke didn't seem impressed.

Neither did Pītā for that matter, though he simply shrugged his shoulders. "Everyone needs a hobby… I guess," he aired his scepticism quite openly.

The most feral member of the group of Genin nodded, cocking a thumb towards his red and blue peer. "Pākā's got a point, how the heck can playing cards help in the exam?" Kiba queried, earning an agreeable bark out of his canine companion.

Kabuto didn't mind the doubt; it was understandable that others found the idea a little too out there. "They might not look like much to the naked eye, but when I use my Chakra to reveal their secrets, they're incredibly useful." He took a single card out of the dark and placed a finger on its blank surface, causing the object to spin.

To everyone's surprise, the puff of smoke revealed the card's secrets. "Hey, it's a map! A map of the world!" Naruto was the first to point out, observing the instantly recognizable sight of the many Shinobi nations.

Green pillars of differing height stood in each separate country, joined by the symbol for each country and seemingly random numbers. "A map that shows the geographical distribution of all Chūnin Exam candidates, what village they hail from and how many from each village. Why do you think they all come here to take the exams together, at the same time?" Kabuto posed, smirking a little as he pretty much had the rookies' undivided attention.

"To strengthen the bond between nations," Sakura answered with impressive speed, she hadn't been one of the smartest students in the Academy for nothing.

Kabuto gave her a nod, before directing his black coloured eyes back down at his card. "Right you are, and it's true enough as far as it goes." He concurred, about to move on when he was cut off.

Sasuke let his drone-like tone be heard, giving his two cents on the topic. "But there's another reason, to regulate the total number of Shinobi and Kunoichi in each village, which maintains a delicate balance of power." He educated those around him, drawing the admiration of Ino as she clasped her hands together and sighed.

Naruto didn't bother suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, telegraphing it for everyone to see. "So it's a little more complicated than a simple competition, doesn't change the fact that it's all still a drag." Shikamaru sighed, the discussion taking place struggling to attract his interest.

Kiba shook his head; he hadn't forgotten how lazy the kid was from their Academy days. "Everything's a drag to you, man." He pointed out, resulting in a half-hearted shrug of the shoulders from Shikamaru.

"You know, I actually agree with shake and bake. All this talk of politics, I feel like I'm about to fall asleep at this rate." Pītā jested, much to the ire of Shikamaru as the lad shuddered at the sheer sound of the nickname.

Sasuke actually agreed with the comedian for once, he wasn't interested in the politics between nations either. "Do your cards carry information on other candidates? Individually?" He questioned, stepping away from the group and towards Kabuto.

The elder Leaf ninja admired the boy's bluntness, straight down to business. "Why, you have someone in mind?" Kabuto answered the kid's inquiry with one of his own, looking up at the younger boy.

The raven haired Uchiha didn't even miss a beat when he responded, almost catching Kabuto off-guard. "Rock Lee of the Leaf Village," Sasuke offered up the subject of his thoughts, stunning the gaggle of Genin behind him.

Namely Naruto, who appeared dumbstruck. "What?! Why do you wanna know about the kid with the bushy brows?!" The boy practically yelled, drawing Sasuke's attention for a brief moment.

The boy garbed in blue gazed over his shoulder, black eyes meeting with ocean orbs for a split second. "Why don't you mind your own business, Naruto?" Sasuke struck back, igniting a frown out of the blonde.

Unbeknownst to everyone present, except Sai and Yakumo, Rock Lee had challenged Sasuke shortly after leaving the second floor. Needless to say, Sasuke had gone into the duel overconfident and arrogant and had paid the price for it. Lee had unceremoniously thrashed the prodigy ninja, humiliating him in front of his shell-shocked teammates.

Even when Sasuke had activated his Sharingan as a last resort, it still didn't give him an advantage. Had it not been for Lee's weird sensei, Might Guy, intervening, then Sasuke might've been in much worse shape than he already was. It was barely noticeable, but there were a few minor scuffs and scrapes on his face and clothes. He wasn't happy about it, especially after Lee admitted that Sasuke wasn't even a noteworthy opponent to him. But it had also served to open Sasuke's eyes and mind, he really did have no idea what to expect when it came to the Chūnin Exams.

For a minute moment, Sasuke and Naruto scowled at one another. "Okay… any more requests?" Kabuto took it upon himself to break the awkward tension, drawing everyone's attention once again.

Pītā stuffed his hands into his pants pockets as he stepped forward, joining Sasuke in front of the ash grey haired boy. "Gaara of the Sand Village… very gloomy character, one of the palest kids I've ever met. Sai, not included." He mocked, throwing a nonchalant glance the ninja's way.

Sai merely shut his eyes and smiled, conveying simple humour. Once again, it struck the spider in the wrong way. Like it was forced, restraining something else. And truth be told, it was just downright creepy. As if a smile was somehow unnatural on the boy's face, misplaced somehow.

Pītā shrugged it off, turning to face the lad with the deck of magic cards. "Two cards with everything on 'em," Kabuto jested, pushing two blank playing cards across the cold stone floor.

"Rock Lee first," Sasuke felt the need to assert, side-eyeing Pītā for a moment.

The arachnid acrobat skewed an eyebrow at him, though shrugged soon after. "I'm in no hurry," he relented; it wasn't really that big of a deal.

Kabuto watched stark black coloured eyes leave soft brown ones, obliging with the former's request. "All right, let's see what's on the card. Kid's around a year older than you guys, nothing too special on the mission front. Twenty D ranks and eleven C ranks, pretty standard. His squad leader's Might Guy and in the past twelve months, his Taijutsu skills have radically improved, far outclassing any of his other skills. He and his teammates, Tenten Tanaka and Neji Hyūga, weren't submitted for the exams last year so he's in the same boat as you guys." He revealed to the group of youths, glancing up at the pair in front of him.

Sasuke didn't respond verbally, he simply nodded curtly to express his satisfaction. "Gaara of the Sand Village, was it? Huh… there's not much here to go on, except for his mission experience which is again, pretty standard. Eight C ranks and a B rank, nothing too special but he's definitely a notch ahead of you rookies. Wait… according to the card, he somehow survived every single mission without getting a single scratch on him." Kabuto moved onto Pītā's request, his eyes widening behind his glasses at the information provided on his card.

The group of Genin were more puzzled than stunned, with Naruto scoffing at even the idea of an untouchable Shinobi. "No way, he didn't seem so tough! I mean, he was creepy, sure but this?! I ain't buying it!" The blue and orange clad ninja refused to believe the prospect, he didn't care what Kabuto's card said.

Gaara was a weird one, but he didn't strike Naruto as some all-powerful, infallible ninja. He shared a team with a boy that moved faster than he could think, and sometimes, seemed to register an attack before it had even happened. Even then, Naruto had seen Pītā get hit before. Either the cards were wrong or Gaara had one serious trick up his sleeve, but he was sceptical to say the least.

Pītā frowned beneath his mask; he'd been hoping to learn more about the mystery kid from Suna that had insulted his clan. "Well… that's disappointing," he appeared a little more reserved than the standoffish Naruto but was just as dubious, almost suspicious in a sense.

How could someone never get hit?

Even with his abilities, his blistering speed, his unparalleled agility and his very own secret weapon, the spider-sense, he wasn't untouchable. It got Pītā thinking, intriguing him to no end and lit his mind on fire. There was more to Gaara than met the eye, much more and Pītā being Pītā, he wanted to find out just what made the kid tick.

Kabuto swept the two cards back into his deck, before laying down yet another one. "Leaf, Sand, Rain, Grass, Waterfall, Hotsprings and Sound. They've all got a horse in this race, exceptionally skilled candidates that want to win the exams just as bad as you guys do. Though… the Hidden Sound Village is small and somewhat closed off, it doesn't exactly have the longstanding history of Konoha or any of the other established villages. Long story short, those guys over there are shrouded in mystery." He pointed out, onyx coloured eyes flickering over to three Sound ninja that blended into the dense crowd of Genin.

If narrowed eyes were anything to go by, it was clear that the trio had heard Kabuto talk about them and seemed none too pleased about it. "Convenient," Pītā muttered, ignoring the Sound ninja for a moment to focus on Kabuto.

Chocolate brown eyes focused on onyx, and every other shred and decibel of sound seemed to drown itself out as Pītā listened for the tell-tale dull thud of a heartbeat. The noise thumped as it entered his ears, slow and steady, no trip ups or quickening of pace. Usually, that meant that the person was telling nothing but the truth. But there was something off about Kabuto, something that didn't sit quite right with Pītā and he didn't think anybody else noticed it.

Kabuto once again caught the spider kid staring at him, eyes narrowed and full of suspicion. In an attempt to sway the lad's scrutinizing glare, Kabuto offered a friendly smile. Pītā recognized it instantly, it was the exact same thing Sai did. He'd close his eyes in a cheery way, before plastering on the fakest smile he'd ever seen.

There was no mistaking it, for whatever reason, Kabuto was lying. Before Pītā said anything, brought any attention to the subject, his spider-sense alerted him to something else. A few seconds later, Kabuto seemed to notice what that something else was too, his eyes leaving the little staring contest he'd entered with the red and blue Shinobi.

The three Sound ninja, two boys and one girl as was usually the case with most ninja squads, moved. They moved so fast that virtually nobody noticed them even move at all, just a blur of motion before they were upon Kabuto. Pītā stepped back, his spider-sense constantly pestering him about the immediate danger. Kabuto had to leap backwards as the mass of rookie Genin gasped, two kunai knives found themselves embedded in the solid stone floor, right where he'd been standing.

Sakura and Naruto immediately acted, just about to rush in and help Kabuto when Pītā halted them in their tracks. "Let's see what the so-called expert can do," Pītā answered the bewildered looks he was receiving with words, his arms keeping his teammates from progressing any further.

Kabuto noticed that while Sakura, Naruto and most of the rookies were watching with concern, Pītā had folded his arms and narrowed his eyes. Like he was watching some sort of show, like he was the entertainment to be judged. The late teen smirked, he didn't mind it one bit. Even as one of the Sound ninja, masked, hunching over and sporting ridiculously long sleeves, rushed him.

He took a swing at Kabuto, his arm just barely missing the ash-grey haired lad by mere inches. At first, all was well as he'd managed to successfully evade the blow. But the smirk disappeared from his face, being replaced by a frown as Kabuto's glasses split and cracked, before shattering altogether.

"Should've expected that," Kabuto murmured, before he unceremoniously dropped to the floor and began throwing up.

The rookie Genin covered their mouths, wincing and cringing as Kabuto literally covered the floor with what he'd had for breakfast. "That doesn't make any sense… he dodged the attack but it still affected him. How?" Sasuke wondered out loud, curiosity lighting up his usually still and stoic features.

Shikamaru pondered what had just happened, he'd seen everything play out as well and the attack hadn't landed. "There was more to it than that," he deduced, glancing at Pītā for a bit of support.

The kid nodded, he'd actually managed to catch everything and it all made perfect sense. "They're Sound ninja, remember? Sound, vibrations, frequencies… any of this ring a bell?" Pītā encouraged, it was fun working things out with someone else.

Shikamaru snapped his fingers once he'd figured things out, science wasn't really his forte. "A vibrational attack, affecting the victim just like motion sickness would." He concluded, being more of a strategist himself.

The Sound ninja, the one with the ability to harness sound and use it against his enemies was rather surprised two rookies had managed to figure things out so quickly. "When you're right, you're right. You just got a front row seat but there's nothing like experiencing it for yourself, want a taste too?" He offered, in a rather reserved yet disturbing tone.

Pītā stepped forward, actually smirking beneath that mask of his. "Thought you'd never ask, slouchy. I've been dying for a good scrap all week!" The spider was all too eager to comply, lowering himself a little as he loosened up into an unusual stance.

Before the Sound ninja made good on his offer, a massive plume of smoke enveloped the room and interrupted the oncoming bout. A new presence, a lot of them actually, suddenly appeared in the room. A group of Chūnin surrounded the tallest man the rookies had ever seen, a man wearing a long, black trench coat over a standardized grey uniform. The newcomer's face was marred with scars, probably mementos from previous battles and fights.

He spoke with a demanding tone, matching his looming presence and instantly caught the attention of every single ninja present. "You two! In the back! Take one more step towards each other and I'll run you out of these exams so fast, you won't know what hit you!" The man threatened, shouting so his voice would carry.

Pītā straightened out of his stance as the Sound ninja turned away from him, both of them reassuming their position at their respective teammates' side. "That goes for all of you as well; they'll be no fighting under my supervision! Am I understood?!" The man, more like a drill sergeant, bellowed.

The crowd of ninja nodded, completely silent as the tower of a man stood before them. "Good, glad we understand one another. For those of you that don't know, I'm Ibiki Morino and I'll be acting as your proctor for the first part of these exams. The first test is a written one, designed to challenge the mind. Before you start rolling your eyes and whining like a bunch of self-entitled brats, the more physical aspect of the exams comes later." Ibiki, the first proctor of the Chūnin Exams, announced.

While Sakura and Pītā weren't worried about a written exam, Naruto was. "Did—Did I hear that right? Written? There's writing involved?!" The boy questioned frantically, loud enough for the proctor to hear him very clearly.

Ibiki grinned; he knew what doubt and fear looked like. "You did indeed, boy. Try not to worry yourself to death; it's just a short series of simple questions. Show him, Kotetsu." Ibiki ordered, prompting one of the Chūnin rank ninja to step forward.

He brandished a rather large stack of paper in one hand, smiling while Naruto paled. Curiously, he resembled one of the Genin that had attempted to block their path on the second floor. Even more curious, was the fact that one of his hands was wrapped up in bandages and held in a sling. Pītā arched an eyebrow, was he and the kid who'd tried to hit Tenten one and the same?

Regardless, Ibiki motioned for all Chūnin candidates to follow him into the next room over. "Hand in your submission forms and waste no time doing it; you'll each receive a random number telling you where to sit. The Chūnin Exams start here!" He called out, leaving the large room as a mass of ninja from all over the world towed after him.

* * *

The first test had gone rather smoothly, the rookie Genin of the Leaf had managed to make it through while many others were weeded out of the exams early. The test had consisted of a series of questions, though nothing simple like Ibiki had said. The questions covered an extensive range of theory, covering things like kunai trajectory to the concept behind certain Jutsu.

Sakura and Pītā had actually been smart enough to answer each question with little to no difficulty, Sakura had been one of the top students back at the Academy when it came to theory and Pītā… well, he was like an informational sponge. Whatever he read, whatever he learned, it was all up there in that head of his.

Naruto on the other hand, had spent the entire duration of the exam sweating and worrying. While his sheet of paper stayed blank for its entirety, a few choice words from his exam neighbour, Hinata, had actually cheered him up somewhat. Needless to say, when it came to the final question of the exam, Naruto didn't back down.

In fact, he'd been the one to stand up to Ibiki and vow that he'd never quit, showcasing bravery that stunned most present, Genin and Chūnin alike. The final question was tailored to each individual candidate, simply asking them to either stay or leave. Once those who had decided to leave left, prompting their entire teams to have to wash out of the exams too, Ibiki revealed that the final question was just that.

Stay or go.

Those that stayed passed, much to their bewilderment. And while it had been more than Ibiki was used to, which he credited to the loudmouth in orange and blue, he felt he'd done a decent job at cutting the examinees down to size. The second proctor, Anko Mitarashi, happened to disagree as she made an abrupt entrance and seemed disheartened at the number of Genin left.

She was a weird one…

A day had since passed, a day most Chūnin candidates used to get in some last minute training. Nothing too excessive of course, they'd been told to rest well for the second test of the overall exams. Since the first had been a test of the mind, the remaining Genin had suspected that the second might've been something a little more physical.

People like Lee, Kiba, Naruto, Sasuke and Pītā were chomping at the bit for a bit of a challenge. They practically craved something physical, something really designed to push them to their limits and test every ounce of what they were capable of. So when they'd been informed to gather at the area where the second test would be carried out, they'd been expecting something intimidating.

Needless to say, the sight they'd been met with did not disappoint on that front.

A gigantic forest stood before them, solid, dense and immovable. Probably stretched for miles in every single direction, even a few miles skyward, such was the height of the trees. Covered in slowly spreading moss and twisting vines, the forest looked ancient, like it had been standing there since the beginning of time. It was so deep and dark, that sunlight struggled to pierce the thick canopy of overhead leaves and far-reaching branches.

It was surrounded by a tall, rusted chain-link fence, adding a certain amount of 'forbidden' flair to the forest. It rendered all remaining examinees speechless, just struggling to take in the sight before them. Their new proctor, the violet haired woman that dressed way too provocatively to have been teaching kids, grinned up at the death trap, as if greeting an old friend.

Anko Mitarashi turned, her long tan overcoat billowing as she did so, and took a good long look at the kids that had been left in her care. Her grin faltered, there were far too many for her liking. It seemed as if the exams got less difficult with each new generation of ninja and in all honesty, where was the fun in that?

Regardless of the number, she had a feeling that the forest would break half of them, two thirds at a push. Stuffing one hand into a pocket on her overcoat, she reasoned that she could've lived with that. After all, she had gotten the best part of the exams, avoiding the written test that had preceded her and the one on one battles that were to come.

During her test, it was survival of the fittest, the way nature had intended it. Just the thought of something so primal, something so brutally honest, made her smile with fondness. Her pupil-less brown eyes scanned the kids in front of her, their ages ranging from twelve upwards. She wasn't surprised some of them had gotten past the first test, she'd read up a bit on some of the kids.

Anko wouldn't have admitted it outright, but having witnessed Kakashi defend his students so passionately, with as much passion as he could manage anyway, it caught her interest. He really must have trusted his students' abilities, seeing as how they were rookie Genin. In fact, there was quite a lot of rookie Genin left.

Finally, somebody spoke. "What'd you say the name of this place was again?" Naruto broke the tension that had mounted, an air of fear almost palpable among the young crowd of ninja.

Anko grinned; she thought nobody was going to ask. "44th Battle Training Zone, scamp. But I prefer the less official sounding name for it, gets the point right across. We call it… the Forest of Death… pause for dramatic effect," the Tokubetsu Jōnin murmured that last part to herself, smiling coyly as if sharing a joke with someone.

The kids stared up at the so-called Forest of Death in silent awe, before muffled mutters began to circulate among them. Anko placed both of her hands on her wide, shapely hips and arched an eyebrow. They were scared, understandably so too. Though a few, those which drew Anko's attention, didn't show it.

Sasuke, Neji, Pītā, Shino, some large kid dressed in padded green armour and Guy's kid, Lee, stood with their arms folded and brows creased. They weren't scared; she knew that look anywhere and knew what it meant. They were determined, probably would've rushed head on into the forest had she given the go ahead.

Anko liked that, it was one of the things she really admired about Kakashi. She liked a little backbone with her Shinobi, a little cocksure attitude and the look that went with it, the look that meant they could've backed it up and then some.

She was about to address the Genin once more when one of those resolute kids spoke, one of Kakashi's if memory served correctly. "Little on the nose, don't you think? What, Garden of Misery was already taken?" The spider, Pītā sounded right to her, mocked.

She watched as the small joke had the desired effect, eliciting a few chuckles and giggles from the crowd of ninja. It had taken the edge off of the entire thing, the little injection of humour serving to dispel the air of fear and unease she had wanted to create. Anko clicked her tongue; there was always at least one class clown amidst the ranks.

"Red and blue, thinks he's hilarious, has a habit of sticking to things… you're Pākā, right? One of Kakashi's?" Anko hit back, tilting her head and fixing the boy with a narrow of the eyes.

She was challenging him; she'd heard that the kid had a sharp tongue, sharp as they came apparently. But she hadn't met anyone who was capable of matching wits with her; she hadn't met anyone who was her kind of crazy just yet.

Pītā gave a slow, methodical clap. "Your skills of deduction are astounding," he fired her way, a deadpan expression adorning the exposed half of his face.

Anko grinned; kid had a little sass in him. She was about to respond in kind, and probably would've kept the little back and forth going had someone not interrupted the rhythm. The little daddy's girl with the pink hair, yet another one of Kakashi's, didn't appear nearly as confident as her brunette teammate.

With her shimmering green eyes still fixed on the sprawling forest up ahead, Sakura expressed her concern. "I don't know… it looks pretty deserving of its name," she murmured, resulting in a few agreeable nods out of surrounding Genin.

Naruto folded his arms and slammed his eyes shut, frowning as he stood before the so-called Forest of Death defiantly. "Get real! We saw way scarier things out on our first mission, believe it!" He exclaimed, prompting the woman in charge to smile knowingly.

She reached into her overcoat pocket to feel the sharp edge of a kunai with her finger, grinning all the while. "Ah, the resident tough guy of the group, every squad has one." Anko stated, almost wistfully as she gazed at the boy with a half-lidded expression.

A tingle buzzed at the back of Pītā's skull, like a quick pluck on a guitar string. Completely blindsiding the crowd of children in front of her, Anko let fly an incredibly well-aimed kunai. The knife sliced straight at Naruto, its razor sharp tip headed straight for blue eyes the size of plates. He froze in place, having been tricked into a false sense of security. Excuse him for not being on constant edge around a teacher, a person who was supposed to look after their students.

Pītā plucked it right out of the air, the left over momentum causing the kunai to twirl around his finger before he grasped it firmly. "Little excessive, no?" He posed, doing nothing to surprise Anko.

She'd expected it actually, he was a spider after all, and their reflexes were second to none. "As your proctor, I'll be the one to decide that. It's my responsibility to scare all of that bravado and courage out of you, there's no room for that in the Forest of Death. Kids who try to be a hero in this place end up dead, that's the sad truth." She remarked, stunning the aspiring Chūnin into complete silence.

The violet haired woman approached Pītā, reaching out for her kunai expectedly. "This part of the exams is all about survival, kiddo. An attitude like your friend's here is liable to get not just him, but you two killed as well." Anko warned as she eyed both Pītā and Sakura, feeling the former place her knife back into her hand.

Naruto exhaled, he hadn't even realized he'd been holding his breath. "Maybe you should say it next time instead of almost killing me!" He yelled, clearly not happy at all with his brash educator.

She grinned, though wasn't even acknowledging the child, her pupil-less brown eyes locked on her kunai as she admired the craftsmanship. "Where's the fun in that?" Anko simply answered, almost willing the crowd of Genin's eyes to bulge out of their heads.

Pītā was the first to respond, as was usually the case, cocking a thumb towards her whilst he casually addressed the strangers around him. "Who thought it'd be okay for her to teach kids?" His question slipped out in the form of a joke, but he was genuinely curious.

How could someone so brash and ill-tempered receive permission to watch a bunch of kids?

Before anyone answered, not that they could've anyway, Anko let a shrill whistle escape her puckered lips, immediately catching everyone's attention. Leaf, Sand, Rain, Grass, Waterfall, Hotsprings and Sound ninja zoned in on her once again, taking their saucer-like eyes off of the loudmouth in the red and blue.

Anko reached into the inseam of her overcoat, her hand disappearing for a moment as she fished for something. Naruto involuntarily flinched, enticing a snort out of Pītā. The woman let a smirk grace her devilish features; the kid wasn't so brave anymore. The Tokubetsu Jōnin revealed a rather small stack of papers to the curious eyes in front of her, brandishing them for all to see.

"Listen up, kids, because this is the important part. In my hand are standardized consent forms, I'm going to hand these out and you're going to give them a quick once over. Yeah, I know, rules are boring. But part of my job is making sure you sign these things, any questions?" Anko announced, quickly sweeping through the gaggle of Genin before her.

Most appeared inquisitive, almost reserved. They were trying to figure out what the forms were for, probably too afraid to just speak their mind and ask her. She had that effect on people, but kids were the most fun to play with, in her own humble opinion. Among the sea of students, a slightly shaking hand ascended and a few taller kids parted to let Anko see just who had raised it.

Sakura suddenly felt a little embarrassed, it had been so long since she'd left the Academy. Being placed back in an environment that called for the student/teacher dynamic once again had simply muddled her; the hand raising was a kneejerk reaction. But with all eyes on her, she almost failed to notice the ever so slight nudge on her elbow.

She felt a soft voice whisper in her ear, though the familiarity of said voice set her at ease. "Consent forms," Pītā reminded her, once again encouraging her to speak her mind.

Sakura nodded, lowering her hand and willing herself to stare at Anko and not the couple of dozen eyes on her person. "Right… what're the forms for, proctor?" The girl addressed the woman, her tone carrying an air of subdued respect that Anko wasn't used to.

Anko smiled, the girl had yet to find her courage. "To ensure that the fault does not lie with me should any of you not return from this exam, kiddo. Yay for me, not so great for you guys." She answered, providing the children with a dose of her brutal brand of honesty.

Everyone was perplexed, Pītā even more so. An adult, an elder that was supposed to provide them with an example to follow, was dodging responsibility. It was understandable, obviously. The exams were dangerous, and foreign villages sent teams of ninja knowing full well what the risk was. Heck, there were only so many Genin present because their sensei had the utmost of faith in them.

Still, he shook his head. "Man, the hits keep on coming." He murmured, running a hand through his thick brunette hair, a mannerism of his to calm his nerves.

Anko quickly snapped her fingers, eyebrows shooting up as she gazed at a dumbfounded Naruto. "Hand these out for me, will you, squirt?" She queried, though Naruto heard more of an order than a request.

The twelve year old blonde promptly approached her and against his own sense of self-preservation, diligently took the stack of forms out of the proctor's hand. "As I said before, this is all about survival. No rules, no restrictions, no limits. All out chaos, it's beautiful really." Anko fondly expressed, urging quirks of the eyebrows from most present.

Naturally, Pītā felt the need to comment. "You should really talk to someone," he suggested, raising a finger to articulate his point.

A few snickers and titters sounded from the crowd, though Anko chose to ignore the slight jab and push on. "The Forest of Death is a big place, a heck of a big place. A tower lies beyond the forty four gates that surround it, sitting right in the middle of no man's land, ten kilometres from the fence. Said ten kilometres is where things get real interesting, that's the survival part of the test. Reach the tower, stick with your team and don't get killed." She lectured, cocking a thumb over her shoulder towards the looming forest.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes as he took a form from Naruto, the mere sound of the word 'survival' was exhausting to him. He kept his comments to himself though, his female teammate having a mouth big enough for the both of them. Ino didn't bother thanking Naruto as she took a form out of his hands, folding her arms and keeping her attention on the crazy lady in the overcoat.

"Sounds easy enough, when do we start?" She boasted, a confidence in her tone that betrayed those around her.

Anko offered a toothy grin as she raised her hands, motioning for the girl to not get carried away with herself. "Whoa there, princess, let's not get ahead of ourselves. There's much more to the test outside of kicking the ever loving crap out of each other, though let's be honest, I wouldn't need much incentive. No, the real aim of the game is to get your hands on these babies." She explained, reaching into her seemingly endless overcoat pocket and retrieving two differently coloured scrolls.

Sasuke didn't seem impressed, his arms having been folded for the past half an hour. "Both of them?" He posed, receiving an arch of the eyebrow from both Anko and Pītā.

Incredibly and also rather weirdly, both parties responded at the exact same time. "What do you think the other one is, her/my shopping list?" Completely separate tones, though both dripping with sarcasm, mocked in seemingly perfect unison.

Anko glanced at Pītā, who simply glanced back as a swell of silence overcame them. "Jinx," they both remarked, surprising each other once again.

The surrounding Genin, visiting and local, could only look on in complete bewilderment as proctor and student stared at one another. "Let's forget that happened," Pītā suggested, earning a resolute nod out of the violet haired teacher as she moved onto other things.

Desperately moved on to other things, laughing nervously as she referred to both scrolls. "So! Both scrolls! You have to retrieve one of each scroll, a Heaven and Earth scroll. There are a lot of you this year, much more than there usually is, but half of you will want the Heaven scroll and the other half… well, you get the idea." Anko quickly explained, trying her absolute best not to acknowledge the smart aleck spider in her presence.

Sakura's green eyes flickered over to Pītā, the lad simply shrugged in return, rubbing his ear with his pinkie finger. Kiba exchanged looks with Shino, both of whom gazed at their meek teammate, Hinata. Chōji worriedly glanced at Ino, who turned her attention towards Shikamaru, though he didn't seem to care as his eyes struggled to stay half-lidded.

Both Sai and Yakumo shared an apprehensive look, while Sasuke refrained, seemingly in deep thought as he took a form from Naruto. Though his charcoal black eyes quickly found ocean blue, both pairs narrowing as they locked for a split second. A test of survival, yet another opportunity for Naruto to try and best one of the number one rookies. Though with Sasuke, things were always a little more personal.

While they'd barely crossed paths ever since being assigned to their chosen squads, Naruto loathed the time they had shared as Academy students. As far back as he'd remember, Sasuke had always been the one to look down on him with eyes that conveyed the very idea of 'superiority'. The pair of them had gotten into it over anything and everything, and admittedly, Naruto sometimes went out of his way to poke the bear.

Just everything about Sasuke riled him up, the way everyone practically worshipped the ground he walked on. In all fairness, some of the bitter feelings he held for the lad did stem out of jealousy, but Naruto felt he was entitled to bare him ill will. Naruto had been alone for most of his time in the Academy and while he did find friendship eventually, it still bugged him.

The blonde had watched Sasuke for years, watched the boy be offered with so much. Girls threw themselves at his feet, sensei wouldn't stop gushing about the 'prodigy ninja' and to cap it all off, Sasuke didn't care one bit. Naruto couldn't remember the last time the lad had shown an ounce of emotion, not one bit of it.

No happiness, no love, no gratitude.

But he'd seen plenty of annoyance, irritation, bitterness and hate.

He understood what Sasuke had lost, what Sasuke had witnessed at such a young age. Naruto couldn't have imagined how hard it must have been, how utterly soul crushing to have everything you've ever known taken away from you in one fell swoop. He'd lost his parents before he'd gotten the chance to get to know them, to form some kind of connection with them, just like Pītā had.

But it didn't give Sasuke the right, did it? To project all of that inner turmoil and conflict onto everyone else, like they didn't even matter? Naruto wasn't sure; he was much too young to ever grasp something so tragic and complex. And while his days of loneliness had long since passed, welcoming companionship and comradery with open arms and a grin on his face, Sasuke continued to put everyone at arm's length.

So when the two locked eyes, both narrowing a fraction and halting everything around them, like a frozen moment in time, Naruto relented. Sasuke watched him move on, continuing the menial task he'd been given of handing out consent forms and felt only one thing.

Confusion.

Naruto was a hard-headed, brash and idiotic child who had always pushed him to the edge, always attempted to coax some form of an argument or fight out of him. All in the name of a severely misguided pursuit of proving who was stronger, who deserved the admiration and praise of their peers and who didn't.

Yet, just then, Sasuke had seen only one thing in the boy's ocean blue eyes.

Sympathy.

It did nothing to change the way Sasuke saw the world, in stark shades of black and white with little colour or room for exceptions. It did nothing to change the way Sasuke felt, nothing to sway his ultimate goal. Naruto's sympathy did nothing to alter his way of coping, pushing everyone away and isolating himself.

Just like any other day, Sasuke felt only one thing.

Indifference.

Sakura appeared thoughtful for a moment, pink eyebrows knotted together as she pondered the Tokubetsu Jōnin's words. "Wait a minute… only half the teams will be able to finish this part of the exam," she pointed out, shocking those around her that hadn't put two and two together quite yet.

All eyes, pre-teen and teenager alike, were centred back on Anko as she nodded. "Therein lies the challenge, squirt. But here's the real kicker, you have no more than five days to finish!" She grinned, eyes firmly shut as a stunned silence swept through the crowd once more.

Well, expect Chōji, who had a very important concern to voice. "Time out! Five days?! Five days in—in—in that place?! What're we supposed to do for food?!" He exclaimed, rather frantically too, much to the ire of his teammates.

Pītā on the other hand, found it rather funny but painfully predictable. "That is the golden question," he concurred, smirking as he raised a finger and side-eyed Chōji.

The Akimichi boy glared back at the arachnid, though had come to expect such a barb from him. "Food should be the least of your worries, kid. It's more likely you'll be on the menu for the countless man-eating beasts, roaming free in the forest." Kabuto, the elder kid that had tried and failed to pass the exam a whopping six times, cut in as he pushed his glasses further up his nose.

Anko appeared wide eyed, throwing her arms out in apparent outrage. "Kid! You totally ruined the surprise!" She cried, though a tell-tale smirk lit up her features, all in good fun.

Pītā arched an eyebrow; the woman was a strange one indeed. "Again, please seek professional help." He bluntly suggested, receiving a chastising elbow to the arm from Sakura, for quite possibly the thousandth time.

Ino shut her eyes and folded her arms over her chest, rather annoyed with all of the murmurs and complaints pertaining to the time limit. "I don't know what everyone's whining about, it's called survival for a reason, right?" She pointed out, drawing agreeable nods from a certain few.

Neji didn't appear worried; he was one of the select minority that appeared calm and determined. "The conditions will be most trying… Sakura's right, though I doubt even half will pass." He guessed, unintentionally insulting most surrounding ninja.

His teammate, a boy that contrasted him like night and day, concurred. "The more time that passes, the window to retrieve a scroll gets smaller and smaller. Exhaustion will surely set in if we aren't careful, we'll have less time to rest and recover. A most fitting challenge indeed!" Rock Lee beamed, pearly whites sparkling and almost blinding those around him.

Pītā clicked his tongue, his eyebrows shooting up for a fleeting second. "I feel like I'm taking crazy pills," he mumbled into his mask, staring right at the impossibly white grin of the kid in green spandex.

Sasuke spoke up, his dull and droning tone betraying his anticipation for the coming test. "We'll be right in the thick of it, danger on all sides and in a completely foreign territory… we'll have to keep our eyes peeled constantly." The raven haired Uchiha boy mulled, as if trying to convince himself that it won't be a walk in the park.

Shikamaru's hand slowly raised into the air, though stopped at about shoulder height, preferring not to stretch all the way. "What if one of us wants to quit mid-exam? I'm… I'm asking for a friend," he muttered that last part, drawing unconvinced looks from the kids that knew him a little too well.

Anko had to double take, she wasn't sure she'd heard the boy right. In the few years she'd proctored the second part of the Chūnin Exams for the Leaf, she'd never ever heard such a question. In fact, the query had caught her off-guard in such a manner, that it almost left her speechless. She, the woman that almost everyone in the village was weary of, had to collect her thoughts before answering.

"For the sake of myself and everyone present… though really, just me… I'm gonna pretend those words didn't come out of your mouth." She answered, moving right on at a brisk pace.

Shikamaru sighed; his eyes firmly shut and fatigue already beginning to set in. "What a drag," he muttered, resulting in a slightly embarrassed glare from Ino as Chōji whipped out a bag of chips from nowhere and began scoffing them down.

Anko momentarily blinked, the kid must have been Shikamaru, the boy that Iruka had accused of being too lazy for his own good. And while at the time, she'd admired Asuma for standing up for his student as any sensei would've done, she was starting to see where Iruka was coming from. She only hoped that the boy found his drive and found it soon; the Forest of Death was an unforgiving place. Not for the faint of heart, and certainly not for slackers.

"Look, here's the bottom line. With any exam, there're ways that you can be disqualified. I hope the idiots among you are listening, because this is for you. If a full team, meaning all three members, doesn't deliver both scrolls to the tower within the five day period, you're disqualified." Anko explained, having the flock of Genin's rapt attention as she laid down some ground rules.

The violet haired vixen paused for a moment, letting her warning sink in before she carried on. "If a member of your team finds themselves incapacitated and cannot finish the test, you're disqualified. And when I say incapacitated, I mean dead or dying. But mostly dead, don't be a bunch of wusses." She flashed a grin, her rough attitude shining through her duty of care as proctor.

Finally, she addressed a final rule. "Last but certainly not least, this is probably the most important one. If you open, if you even think about opening any of the scrolls before you reach the tower, you are so—" Anko was about to finish, had a student not cut her off.

Sensing a rather blatantly obvious pattern, Pītā deadpanned. "Disqualified?" He asked, though knew the answer before it slipped through Anko's lips.

The woman nodded, hands resting on her voluptuous curves as her pupil-less brown eyes met chocolate ones. "We have a winner," she humorously responded, drawing a roll of said chocolate eyes out of the spider.

Naruto had finished his task of handing out the consent forms, holding the last one in his own hands as he listened to her rules. "What if—like, a scroll just happens to fall open and you read it? What happens then?" The orange and blue clad boy queried, earning a short snort out of Anko.

She was really beginning to like this group; they were certainly good for a few laughs. "Kid, the chances of that happening are about as slim as you managing to beat this test." She insulted the boy, prompting Naruto to fold his arms and glare at the woman.

Pītā was kind of impressed; he hadn't seen such a blow to the ego coming. "Apply cold water to burned area," it hadn't even been directed at him and he'd still felt it.

She stepped forward and ruffled the lad's messy blonde hair, much to his annoyance. "Lighten up, will ya? I'm just messing with you, Uzumaki." Anko knew him by name; she knew all of Kakashi's kids by name.

The jinchūriki let his hardened expression soften; he could take a joke after all, he'd been on the receiving end of tons of Pītā's. "Thanks for handing out the forms, sidekick." He flushed in embarrassment as she smiled down at him, and he simply nodded silently in return.

Anko turned away from the whisker-decorated child and once again addressed the children at large, still retaining her smile. "Speaking of forms, after signing them, head over to the booth on my right and exchange them for your scrolls. Then pick a gate, wait in front of it and we'll take it from there." She advised, watching every candidate hang onto her every word.

Anko let a grin split her face, she didn't mind ordering kids about. Maybe she'd get to teach her own squad of rookies one day, she wasn't sure. Regardless, it was time to get serious. She hated serious, but it was necessary all the same.

As a final word of warning, Anko slipped in a bit of advice while she had their attention. "Try not to die, okay? Because that would suck, big time." She expressed, a slight hint of concern woven within her words as her eyes scanned each and every student.

Particularly those of the Leaf, kids she'd watched grow up. Anko wasn't a particularly caring person, sometimes she was downright cruel. And unlike other, more normal human beings, kids weren't a soft spot for her. But when it came to her fellow ninja, and the rookie Genin of the Leaf qualified as such, she let herself care.

They were the future; they were the next generation that would succeed people like her and Kakashi, Asuma and Kurenai. They needed to survive, they needed to live on and thrive. Because even if they didn't make it to Chūnin, they still had to survive what the Forest of Death had to offer. And she'd seen kids die, not a lot but the few that had decided to ignore her warnings, her rules.

Anko found herself blinking for a moment, as a youthful voice slipped into her ear and pulled her out of her thoughts. "Proctor Anko… are you okay?" Sakura posed, confusion present in her tone as the previously full of life woman had simply zoned out.

She shook her head and grinned, nodding at the girl that had asked. "Don't worry about me, worry about yourselves. Come on; let's get this thing started already." Anko urged, clapping her hands and ordering each and every student to break off and study their forms.

* * *

The large gathering of Genin had broken up, scattering around the vast meadow of green grass, taking a moment of careful consideration as each and every one of them scanned the consent forms in their hands. Team 7 had split up, opting to ponder their choice individually. Naruto had drifted away from the open field of grass and towards the edge, nearing the dense treeline. Sakura had decided to walk and think, clearing her ever anxious mind and eyeing the piece of paper in her hands carefully.

Pītā on the other hand, was perched on top of a large dusty and dull boulder. He wasn't really that worried about the second part of the exams, he knew there would've been a ton of risk involved from the start. Instead, he wanted to survey the competition. Who he and his team were up against, what made them tick and most importantly, whether or not they were scared.

The boy focused on tuning everything out, his hearing sharpening and heightening to the point that he could no longer hear the whistling breeze of the wind pass him by. Instead, new sounds entered his ears. Sounds that told him everything he wanted to know, sounds that fed him information, vital information that gave him a rough idea of things headed into the forest.

Behind him, sat at the base of the boulder below him, was Sasuke Uchiha. Pītā listened carefully, reading the boy's steady heartbeat, thumping away without so much as a hiccup. It was to be expected; even he knew that Sasuke wasn't the type to scare easily. Pītā's focus shifted, honing in on a group of Sand ninja some distance away. Chocolate coloured eyes narrowed slightly, as the lad's gaze landed upon Gaara and his siblings, Kankurō and Temari.

Pītā watched as Gaara wasted no time, signing the consent form in his hands without any form of hesitation or apprehension. His brother and sister were less certain but signed them shortly after, their heartbeats fluttering slightly. But Pītā didn't put that down to fear or intimidation, more so anticipation.

The brunette turned his attention to more familiar ninja, honing in on Shikamaru, Chōji, Ino and… Sakura?

Pītā arched an eyebrow, the two girls apparently in some kind of an argument. "What else is new," he murmured to himself, expecting that sort of behaviour from the pair.

Instead, he moved on to more important matters and listened intently. Shikamaru wasn't scared, which wasn't surprising really. It took a hell of a lot of effort for that kid to feel anything other than fatigue, disappointment and irritation. Pītā picked up a rapid heartbeat, and quickly found Chōji. The boy nodded, his former classmate was simply worried over the prospect of not eating properly for five days.

Pītā couldn't read Ino or Sakura for that matter, the both of them too worked up with each other. Instead, he found Kiba and Shino discussing things on the other side of his little perch. Kiba was naturally excited, always anxious for action, eliciting a smirk out of Pītā. Shino on the other hand, was as steady as a rock. Just like his demeanour and attitude, his heartbeat gave nothing away.

The spider attempted to find his other teammate, which wasn't too hard considering how brightly dressed Naruto always was. Pītā caught sight of the blonde conversing with Hinata at the edge of the field, and he quirked an eyebrow because of it. He didn't need enhanced vision to make out the bright red colour on Hinata's cheeks, but apparently, Naruto seemed all too oblivious to it.

Pītā listened as Naruto moved on, leaving Hinata to her own thoughts. Her small and tender heart was thumping against her chest, almost too rapid to discern individual heartbeats. Like one long continuous chorus, increasingly picking up the pace. Eventually, the girl calmed down and her pale cheeks lost its warm and rosy tint.

Pītā clicked his tongue; he knew full well that the girl was a shy one but it only just occurred to him that she worsened whenever she was around Naruto. "Huh… at least one girl's immune to the Uchiha charm," he remarked, honestly surprised that someone wasn't falling head over heels for Sasuke.

Pītā's line of sight left the lone Hyūga girl, attracted by short but bright red hair and a pair of narrow brown glasses. Judging from the girl's headband, he deduced that she was from Kusagakure, the Village Hidden in the Grass. The village was located at the North West corner of the Land of Fire, just outside of its borders. Pītā didn't know much about the place, just that it was one of Konoha's allies, hence the participation of its Genin in the Chūnin Exams.

The girl in question was dressed in a dark purple short sleeved shirt that had a brown collar, light brown pants and sandals of the same colour. But what drew Pītā's attention were her eyes, he'd never seen such eyes. Fierce and crimson in their colour, instantly reminding him of Kakashi's Sharingan.

Curiously, her heartrate resembled Hinata's, fast and frantic in its beating. He noticed that she was looking his way, and for a moment he was confused. Was she looking at him? He had no clue who she was, why was she looking at him? It took Pītā a few seconds to follow her line of sight directly beneath him, to a boy garbed in blue and staring at his consent forms.

Pītā nodded; of course she was looking at Sasuke. "Case in point," he mumbled, chuckling to himself lightly as he turned away, not managing to catch the fact that Sasuke seemed to be staring right back at her.

The small moment of levity was interrupted as Pītā's spider-sense vibrated at the base of his skull, demanding that he turn the opposite way. Pītā's chocolate orbs landed on a group of ninja, standing at the edge of the field, intentionally hugging the treeline. All three of them were dressed in dark greens, with two mixing things up with a dash of yellow and a hint of purple. They wore headbands representing the Sand Village, Pītā's earlier encounter with Gaara solidifying the hourglass symbol firmly in his mind.

They seemed older than Pītā, maybe around fifteen, sixteen if he had to guess. The one that stood out the most was the tallest, the biggest member of the team. All of that green seemed to have been divided up into some kind of lightweight armour, providing a little added protection to an already scary looking kid.

He wore a mask covering his nose and jaw, just like Pītā but wore a dome shaped helmet that he did not. The elder boy stood at his full height, arms folded and curiously, seemed to be staring right Pītā's way. There was no mistaking it a second time, the kid's cold brown eyes were locked with Pītā's warm ones. His spider-sense intensified, as the look burned with hatred. For what reason, Pītā had no clue.

The pre-teen Shinobi listened intently, hearing the heartbeat of the foreign ninja. It was the slowest heartbeat Pītā had ever heard, and quite possibly, the loudest. Pītā's eyes left the form of the Sand ninja, as he turned around and hastily signed his own consent form. All the while, his spider-sense continued to buzz and warn him of nearby impending danger.

* * *

The crowd of Genin were forced to converge once more, having to hand in their consent forms in exchange for a scroll. Which scroll, Heaven or Earth, it was completely randomized. Team 7 were one of the first teams to enter the small, curtained-off booth. Pītā retrieved both forms from Sakura and Naruto, giving them to one of the many Chūnin behind the booth.

Pītā gave the scroll he received a once over, it was white in colour and possessed the kanji for Heaven. He pocketed it, placing it in one of the many compartments on his red flak jacket. Sakura didn't mind that he'd been the one to take it; she trusted that Pītā would've been able to keep it safe. Naruto on the other hand, was a different story.

"Hey, why do you get to hold onto it?" The boy questioned, earning a predictable shrug out of his comedic teammate.

Pītā wasn't sure what the big deal was, it wasn't like he was keeping the scroll for himself. "Sticky fingers," he answered, without missing a beat.

Naruto stuttered slightly before pausing; he had to admit that it was a good point. "I… okay, that seems fair." He conceded, rubbing the back of his neck as the team left the booth.

Eventually, every single team had entered the booth with consent forms and exited the booth without them, either a Heaven or an Earth scroll hidden between each team's three members. Anko looked the kids over, nodding as they all seemed prepared for the next phase of the Chūnin Exams. Well, most seemed prepared. She saw that a few kids were sweating, some were even shaking but that could've been anything from excitement and enthusiasm to fear and sheer terror.

In her own humble opinion, she much preferred the latter. "Now that we've got all the boring and formal stuff out of the way, let's get to the real reason we're all here. This is it, kids. In a moment, I'm going to tell you to move around the fence surrounding the forest and pick a gate. Doesn't matter which gate, could be your lucky number, could be your age, I don't give a damn." Anko roughly stated, her voice loud, clear and concise.

With her hands stuffed into her overcoat pockets, she continued as she held each and every child's unwavering attention. "And that is when you and I part ways, you'll be on your own from then on. The Forest of Death is not a place for the faint of heart; it is not a place to be taken lightly. The only people you will be able to rely on in that death-trap is your teammates but above all else, yourself. You're going to see things in there that will scar you, that will make you question the path you've chosen and regret the day you vowed to train in the art of ninja." She boldly claimed, further increasing the sense of palpable dread she could feel among the children.

Their faces paled, their bodies tensed and Anko smiled because of it. "Get ready to leave your childhoods behind, kids. Over the course of the next five days, you're either going to succeed or die trying. Whichever happens, I just want you all to know… it's been a real hoot." The smile split into a grin, and she could've sworn a few of the aspiring Chūnin were going to faint at any given moment.

The woman nodded, apparently pleased with everything and ready to finally get to the main event. "Each team has a scroll, right? One scroll to each team, Heaven or Earth? Okay, so stop standing there wetting your pants and get moving. Pick a gate, go, go, go!" She urged them frantically, scaring the hell out of the younger batch of candidates and disturbing the older ones.

It didn't take long for each and every team to have spread out and chosen a gate, not when more than half of them were running in fear of their lives. Team 8 stood at Gate 16, Team 10 had picked Gate 27 and Team 7 had found themselves at Gate 12. Kabuto's team was standing in front of Gate 38, the Sand siblings were patiently waiting before Gate 6 and Team 3 had found Gate 41.

It didn't take long for the Chūnin assigned to each gate to unlock them, padlocks and rusted chains falling deftly to the dirt ground. "Playtime's over, maggots! The second phase of the Chūnin Exams has officially begun!" Anko yelled out, as loud as her lungs would allow so her voice would carry.

The gates swung open, all in quick succession around the massive, sprawling forest. And just like Anko had said, playtime was indeed over. The candidates bolted, sprinting into the forest as fast as they could manage, all in an attempt to get ahead of the competition and gain some kind of advantage in the exams.

Team 7 on the other hand, took things slow and steady, partly due to the fact that Sakura seemed a little apprehensive. "Can we really do this? Do we really stand a chance of winning?" She voiced her concern, prompting Naruto and Pītā to spin on their heels and face her.

Naruto was the first to answer, throwing out a thumbs up as he grinned widely. "You bet, Sakura! As long as Pītā and I are here, nothing can go wrong!" He boldly claimed, drawing a half-hearted smile out of the girl.

A hand found its way to her shoulder, a gloved hand with rough fingertips that she'd become somewhat familiar with. "He's right, you know. As long as we stick together, we can do this. We can prove that Kakashi-Sensei was right to trust us, Sakura." Pītā appealed, looking down at the girl with a determined gaze.

Just like Naruto, Sakura recognized the fire in his eyes. A fire that wouldn't even consider losing as an option, a fire that wanted to strive to be the best it could be and a fire that she was slowly growing to admire. Whenever Pītā was sure of something, it made Sakura sure. She didn't know why, couldn't explain it if she tried but it was almost infectious.

Like a wildfire of courage and heart, spreading to her and lifting her off the ground. "If you think we can do this, then… okay, let's win this thing." Sakura responded, that shaky smile morphing into something a lot more certain.

Naruto pumped his fist into the air, an excitement filling his chest. "For Kakashi-Sensei!" He cheered, inciting nods out of his fellow teammates.

"For us," Pītā added, absolutely resolute with his words.

The trio broke into a sprint, holding a tight formation with Pītā taking point up ahead, Naruto bringing up the rear and Sakura safely housed between them. They weren't going to walk away from the exams empty handed; it simply wasn't an option, not for them. Whatever obstacles or hurdles they faced, Team 7 was going to tackle them head on and become all the stronger for it.

Sakura took a deep breath in an attempt to filter through the fear and set herself at ease as she ran, the Forest of Death wasn't such a scary place.

Not with her teammates by her side anyway…

* * *

 **Author's Note:** How long was that chapter, right? Believe it or not, I had quite a bit more that I decided to cut, to save for the next chapter. I didn't want to overload you guys with something like thirty thousand words, this chapter itself stands at twenty one thousand, which is way over my usual limit. Anyway, I hope you guys don't mind this chapter, I know there's no action but the character stuff and interaction is very important to the story, the action will come later and I'll try my absolute best to make it glorious.

On another Spidey related note, who saw the latest Captain America: Civil War trailer? Oh my God, wasn't Spidey awesome?! The suit! The suit! It's so Ditko/Romita Sr.! Classic sixties Spider-Man with some modern flourishes thrown in! I can't get enough of it! The utility belt! The web-shooters! The big fat red spider on his back! I'm literally going to die, guys!

Also, Daredevil Season two in three days and Batman V Superman on the 25th! What a time to be a comic book fan! What a time to be alive! Hold me!

 **Guest Reviews:**

 **Great Saiyaman54:** That's the plan on the Kraven front, Rock Lee and Pītā will have a very interesting relationship eventually. You're right that Spider-Man doesn't kill, but this isn't your regular Spider-Man, this is a kid that's grown up in a world where ninja kill their enemies and it's the responsible thing to do in the grand scheme of things. He and Anko are a lot alike, so expect some beats from them in the future.

 **Guest1:** I love Karin, and she will be in the story. Her and Pītā will eventually interact, but Karin only has eyes for Sasuke. As for the Spider-Verse thing, when the story really gets going and heads into Shippuden, you're going to see a lot more mystical aspects of the Spider-Man mythos come into play. I've thought about some kind of special one-off chapter with the Inheritors and another alternate universe Spider-Man but nothing's set in stone at the moment.

 **justaguest:** I understand your concerns and where you're coming from, but I've given the story a lot of thought. You'd actually be surprised how easy mixing certain aspects of Spider-Man mythos with the Narutoverse is, so I'm not worried on that front. As for the Naruto/Sasuke dynamic, it is very important to the story and like you said, probably the main driving point. Things won't change on that front, the Naruto/Sasuke relationship started early on in their Academy years and regardless of Pītā being on Team 7, it's still there. I am going to be focusing on that, and it does serve as a major point in this story.

 **Aztec 13:** It's nice in concept but at the moment, things are primarily Spider-Man. Down the line, who knows? But I think only some of the more ninja/mystically inclined heroes will have a chance at fitting in. People like Iron Fist, Daredevil, Electra, Shang-Chi.

 **atom king:** Night Thrasher, I think I've only ever seen him once with Spider-Man. It would be cool to see a team-up, but if it serves no point in the story, it's probably not going to happen, I'm sorry to say.

 **coldblue:** As always, I'll answer as many questions as I can.

1) Anyone can become a Chūnin at the end of the exams, there's nothing to say they can't. Shikamaru will become a Chūnin, he did well to deserve it. But I always felt that a few others deserved the prestige too, and you'll see who I mean when it comes to that.

2) I have thought of a Summoning Contract and bottom line, it's going to be spiders.

3) That hasn't been revealed yet but for some reason, Pītā seems to be having trouble with his Chakra control. You'll see why in future chapters but at an estimate, I'd say he has a very large amount of untapped Chakra, he just struggles controlling it.

4) Absolutely. In the same way Peter and Mary-Jane had May, who received spider-powers from her father, Pītā can marry outside of his clan and conceive while still keeping the bloodline strong.

5) The Chūnin Exams is a little too early for Pītā to suddenly manifest an interest in poisons, but something happens during the Forest of Death that catches his curiosity. I won't reveal what, but he will eventually go asking Kurenai for some pointers.

6) I'd say sparring with Pītā has made them a little more hardy, they won't go down as easily as they would in canon but nothing too out there. The prelim fights between Naruto/Kiba and Sakura/Ino might go a little differently, to the point where the outcomes might change. Not for Naruto obviously, but for Sakura and Ino. Believe me, I don't like the 'farting thing' either.

Thanks for the questions and suggestions!


	10. Garden of Misery

**Author's Note:** I've been working on this for a good while, it's a big one, longest chapter so far. What's even more amazing is that it doesn't even cover the entire Forest of Death section of the Chūnin Exams, there's still one more chapter yet. Crazy, right?

So, I hope you guys enjoy this because I worked really hard on it, really hard. Getting everything right and balanced and detailed and everything, it was a big task. A lot happens in this one, some of it unchanged from canon simply because it's too important to change. But Pītā clashes with a few ninja that fans of Spider-Man should know, it's not explicitly stated who they're supposed to be but you should get it.

Anyway, thanks for being patient!

 **Disclaimer:** Spider-Man and all related characters are owned by Marvel and in turn, Disney. Naruto and all related characters are owned by Masashi Kishimoto, I own nothing.

* * *

 **Garden of Misery (Chūnin Exams Arc)**

A trinity of ninja, somewhat drab and glib in their overall demeanour, journeyed through the dense forest around them. They were just a small selection of the many Genin that had entered the Chūnin Exams, a very hostile tournament that was designed to push young Shinobi and Kunoichi alike above and beyond.

The three making their way through the almost heavy air of the forest, keeping their eyes peeled and muscles raring and ready to go, were some of the Konoha rookies. Genin of the Hidden Leaf Village that hadn't long since left the relative comfort and security of the Academy, relative to the actual life of a ninja anyway.

Among them, regarding himself as the unofficial leader actually, was Sasuke Uchiha. A prodigal ninja, a boy that constantly proved his superiority over others in his age range. The raven haired child was a standout back during his Academy days and although that impressed his elders, Iruka-Sensei constantly encouraging him to aspire to be better, Sasuke wanted to push himself even further.

His reasons for this were unknown to everyone else, but they were crystal clear to himself. Years prior, during his childhood, an impressionable time that shaped the future of an individual, Sasuke's entire family was brutally slaughtered. What made the harrowing event even worse, was the fact that the massacre of the Uchiha-Clan was carried out by one of their very own.

Sasuke's older brother—a person who Sasuke loved very dearly at the time—Itachi Uchiha, had killed everyone he'd ever loved for reasons not yet apparent to the boy. But it didn't matter, it would never matter. What reason would someone have for murdering their own family? Sasuke, a cold and calculated child, could've never gone through with such a senseless act.

And it was an act that played and would continue to play on Sasuke's adolescent mind for years to come, shaping him into who he'd become one day. Driven by anger, rage, and vengeance, all manner of negative and self-destructive emotions. All to reach a goal he'd set years ago, a singular achievement he had to reach in order to find that peace within.

The goal of taking Itachi's life one day…

The Chūnin Exams weren't important to Sasuke; as far as he was concerned it was a silly, juvenile competition and nothing more. He didn't care about making Chūnin; he didn't need some sort of formal title or ranking to be recognized as a strong and competent Shinobi. But they did serve a particular purpose that the boy had use of, a means to an end or so to speak, they attracted strong individuals such as himself from miles around.

Other ninja that showed incredible promise, ninja like Rock Lee, Gaara of the Desert, Neji Hyūga and as much as it pained him to admit it, Pītā Pākā too. A boy born with his abilities, much like Sasuke himself. A child with a kekkei genkai, a child that had grudgingly defeated Sasuke in combat before. On the day of their graduation, Sasuke Uchiha and Pītā Pākā had been selected to fight one another in front of their classmates and teacher.

In front of their younger fellow ninja, practically in front of the entire Academy. Sasuke remembered how arrogant and standoffish he'd been, while Pītā simply did what he always did, never took anything seriously and cracked wise. Sasuke shook his head as a frown formed on his lips; he along with everybody else had chosen to forget about that day.

The day that the great Sasuke Uchiha underestimated a fool dressed in red and blue, and soundly paid the price for it. How was he ever supposed to stand up against Itachi if he couldn't even beat an idiotic spider?

The question was forced to the back of his mind as a sound filled his ears, urging him to halt in his movements. "Hold up," Sasuke issued the command to his teammates, a pale Shinobi dressed in blacks and greys and a fair skinned brunette clad in bright pinks and purples.

Sai Toriyama and Yakumo Kurama dwindled behind the boy in blue, inquisitive looks carved into their complexions. "What is it, Sasuke?" The latter questioned, her tone quiet in the serene silence of the forest.

The other male of the team, a boy equally as dim in colour as Sasuke himself, kept his mouth firmly closed. Sai rarely ever spoke actually, it was rather unusual. Though, Sasuke was somewhat thankful for it. He could put up with Sai's sombre disposition any day of the week, but could only endure limited amounts of time with people like Naruto, Kiba or Pītā.

In his own way, he almost felt sorry for Sakura being stuck on a team with the two most talkative ninja this side of the Land of Fire. Still, she wasn't exactly a picnic herself. Which brought Sasuke's thoughts to his female comrade, admittedly one of the more impressive Kunoichi he'd met. Yakumo wasn't the most physically able ninja; she was average at best in the fields of Taijutsu and Ninjutsu.

But Genjutsu was another story entirely…

During a three-way spar between himself, Sai and Yakumo some weeks ago, Sasuke had been pushed to the edge of his mental capacity. While Sai wasn't a problem, Yakumo was. While not a physical threat, she presented a very concerning, very real danger all the same. Performing a hand sign, all the girl had done was look the Uchiha boy square in the eyes.

Brown meeting charcoal, the latter widening in shock as they were subjected to an assortment of tormenting images and testing illusions. Sasuke winced at the thought of it, even after the time that had passed. She'd made him face some of his worst fears and while he hadn't told her what he'd seen, he'd never tell her, it still weighed heavily on his youthful mind.

Sasuke had witnessed himself dying at the hands of his older brother, being constantly ridiculed for being so weak, for his hate not being strong enough. Something had snapped inside of Sasuke, and for one of the first times after years of cold indifference and disinterest, Sasuke had felt a seething fury like no other.

That was how the Sharingan awakened inside him, a gift of his bloodline, left behind by his deceased ancestors. With its blood red colour and one tomoe pattern, it might've been impressive to ninja of his age range but it still amounted to nothing more than a child's ambition. He needed to be stronger, he needed to be faster, more ruthless, colder… he needed to let the hate continue to grow after it was seeded so many years ago.

Seeded deep within his broken heart…

"Sasuke?" For once, Sai spoke up and abandoned his laughably fake smile.

Sasuke hated it, had no idea why the boy employed such a dishonest front but tolerated it all the same. "I… sorry, false alarm. Let's just keep moving," he forced out, having been lost in his thoughts for quite some time.

Darting ahead into the dense gathering of interwoven vines and conjoined trees, he left behind two perplexed teammates. "It's not like him to have his head up in the clouds, what do you think's wrong with him?" Yakumo, the liveliest and most chipper of the trio, asked Sai with the slightest hint of concern laced into her voice.

Sai watched the boy in blue shrink into the distance, a frown evident on his lips. "Perhaps he's simply worried, the Chūnin Exams are an important event after all and a lot is expected of him." He answered, turning to his brunette companion eyes closed and smiling.

Yakumo frowned, both because of Sasuke and because of Sai's painfully forced smile. "Well, whatever the case, let's make sure he doesn't get himself killed." She replied, before leaping on ahead in tow of the unofficial leader of their team.

Sai followed soon after, running across the trees as was the common practice for practically all ninja. "Lead the way," he muttered, the smile he'd practiced every hour of every single day fading from view.

* * *

The distant sound of a shrill scream pierced the thick, almost humid air of the Forest of Death. A young trio of ninja gazed skyward in response, momentarily halting in their journey towards the centre of the battle zone. Two boys and a girl, all three of them radically different from one another yet watching each other's backs on the same team.

A blonde lad, with vibrant blue eyes that seemed to glow in such a shadowed area of trees and overgrown wildlife, seemed cautious. Said eyes widened slightly, not out of fear but diligence. Unlike his female teammate, the slender girl with the long pink hair and glistening green eyes. She was the one that seemed scared, swallowing as the scream finally came to an abrupt yet painful end.

This was, again, in stark contrast to her other male comrade. With his brunette hair and narrowed brown eyes, the boy made an educated guess that the scream originated somewhere to the south east, possibly as close as two hundred yards away. Which was a little too close for the lad's liking, preferring the element of surprise rather than standing out in the open like sitting ducks.

Pītā Pākā, having led his teammates for maybe around forty five minutes into the forest before that scream had distracted them, addressed his friends. "That didn't sound like any of the other Leaf Genin; we should keep moving and head into the trees for more cover. Sound good?" He asked, though it was more of a formality than an actual question.

He wasn't the leader of Team 7, the actual leader was absent and as such, wasn't there to order them about in his usual laidback yet cryptic manner. Pītā wasn't sure whether it was right or not, but whenever Kakashi Hatake wasn't around, he just simply… took charge.

Sakura Haruno nodded, recognizing the tone in Pītā's voice as unwavering and solid. He was in his 'leadership' mode, a mode in which he unknowingly took charge of their team in lieu of Kakashi-Sensei's departure. Personally, she actually didn't have a problem with it. Sakura wouldn't have admitted it—not to him, never to him—but when he wasn't goofing off and messing around, Pītā was actually very responsible and forward thinking.

She simply put that down to his ninja way, or his nindō, a certain saying that respective Shinobi and Kunoichi alike went by, lived their lives by. It was a very famous one, the dash of wisdom that the spiders were known to keep to. Though, she'd never actually heard it from Pītā himself, not once. Which was rather odd, in all honesty.

Usually, ninja were proud enough to spout their nindō at any given opportunity. But Pītā… there was just something different about him, almost mysterious in certain aspects. For as long as she'd known him, years stretching back to the point they were young enough to barely be able to talk, Sakura had noticed that he wore his heart on his sleeve, yet there was so much she didn't know about him.

He kept things close to his chest, and Sakura suspected that most of the time, the lad played the fool just for the sake of it. It was smart to say the least, automatically made everyone's opinion of him void and moot. There was more than met the eye with the wall-crawler, and being on a team with him, having to live day in and day out with him, place so much of her trust in his capable hands, she was starting to get a sense of who Pītā Pākā really was.

He was a born leader, the way he uttered a command and she and Naruto followed it unquestionably. A stark contrast to their earlier time together, how thin her patience had been with the boy. Five days alone with one another, in such a hostile environment as the Forest of Death, Sakura bet that she was going to learn a lot more about her acrobatic teammate.

Maybe more than she was willing to take…

Before the trio of Genin made the leap from grassy green forest floor to moss covered tree branches, Naruto objected. "Wait!" He called out, prompting both Sakura and Pītā to spin around, fists balled and ready for anything.

"What is it, Naruto?" Sakura was the first to ask, concern in her voice as Pītā's brown eyes carefully studied the surrounding area.

Like he was listening for something, like he was in-tune with everything around them, able to hear a pin drop in a thunderstorm and sense the slight variations and constant changes in a person's pulse. Okay, so maybe Sakura was exaggerating there but the way his pupils focused, refracted and changed like some pinpoint predator, it was almost unnerving in a way.

She was simply glad the lad was on her side, was her close friend. Had she just actually used the term 'close friend' in regards to Pītā? Oh no, she had. She totally had, there was no mistaking it. Sakura shook her head full of vibrant pink hair, of course he was her close friend, so was Naruto. They were all teammates; they had to have been close.

Naruto grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his sunshine blonde hair. "I have to pee," he revealed, prompting Sakura to sweat drop and Pītā to loosen up.

Actually, Pītā let a laugh slip past his lips. "Thanks for sounding the alarms there, pal. If you need to go so badly, just go. We're in a forest, plenty of room for you to… you know, do your thing." The boy told his male comrade, earning a nod in return.

Naruto promptly span around, before he unceremoniously whipped his pants down. "You know what I meant," Pītā added, just in time for Naruto to burn like a furnace.

Sakura had already averted her innocent eyes; there were certain things even a ninja shouldn't have seen. "Oh my God… was he raised in a barn?" She muttered, wincing at the entire situation.

Naruto didn't waste any time as he darted straight into a nearby group of bushes, disappearing behind the impossibly wide trunk of a close imposing tree. "Hey, when nature calls, you gotta answer." Pītā humorously quipped, tilting back to lean on the base of the tree as Sakura rolled her emerald eyes.

And then silence set in, a sort of tranquil silence if there was such a thing. Birds sang in the forest, rabbits darted about with the quick pads of their paws, but it was still quiet despite that. So quiet, that Sakura had noticed it. She caught Pītā staring at her, probably because he'd noticed the silence too.

She smiled to break the tension, wasn't even aware she was doing it, just an instinctual reaction, like a knee-jerk reflex. Her brunette friend responded in kind, though she couldn't see it beneath his mask. Instead, he simply flicked his eyebrows up and folded his arms. Sakura could tell he was about to say something, to speak his mind about God knows what. It was a little thing she'd caught onto, spending so much time with him.

Whenever he spoke, he had to move. Whether it was waving and gesturing with his hands—he liked to do that a lot—or rubbing the back of his neck, or bobbing his head like a nervous tick, he was never still for more than ten seconds.

"Still got the shakes?" Pītā threw her way, his tone relaxed and composed.

She could tell that he wasn't nervous, not in the slightest. With the way he stood, so loose and fluid, he seemed at home in the forest. Like he was in his element, danger on all sides and the unknown threatening to take their heads off at a moment's notice but he was… still as calm and collected as ever.

Sakura wasn't nervous, she felt she couldn't be. Not with Pītā, even Naruto provided some sense of security she was grateful for. But she didn't want her nerves to get the better of her, that would've been weak. She didn't want to be the weak one, the one rusted chink in the larger steel chain that was their squad.

The girl kept eye contact with the lad, possessing a certain air of confidence despite their situation. "Not on your life," Sakura hit back, without missing a beat.

Pītā nodded, simply glad that she'd found some sense of courage amidst her many insecurities. "Good to hear, let's keep it that way." He replied, earning a concurring single nod of the head in return.

A rustle of bushes broke the pair's eye contact, Shinobi and Kunoichi watching as Naruto stumbled out of from behind the tree. "Ah, much better. I thought it was never gonna end," the blonde lad boasted, pure relief written into his whisker laden features.

Sakura paled for a moment, didn't Naruto know there was such a thing as too much information?

Pītā on the other hand, narrowed his eyes in suspicion as the orange garbed boy joined his teammates. "Did you… do something with your hair?" The spider asked, though was actually stalling as his spider-sense warned him with a hefty buzz to the skull.

Naruto quirked an eyebrow, unsure just what his friend was talking about. "My hair? What, is there something in my hair?" He reached up to rake through his bright blonde locks, all the while suffering through the scrutinizing gaze of the boy in red and blue.

Pītā had taken the time to listen to Naruto's heartbeat, his eyes widening a fraction when he realized that it didn't sound anything like Naruto's. It was frantic, thumping against the ribcage, so loud it could've burst Pītā's eardrums. The lad set his jaw, Naruto wasn't actually Naruto.

The spider snapped his fingers, earning both Naruto and Sakura's attention. "Oh! You know what it is? You know what it is? It's because you're not really Naruto," he accused, drawing a genuine look of bewilderment out of Sakura.

Before she could react and before Naruto could dispute the kid's wild accusation, a web-line tagged the blonde's chest. "Hey! What's the big idea?!" Naruto attempted to pull at the strong and sticky substance, but felt overwhelming resistance as he was pulled right off of his feet.

His momentum was halted by a solid arm to his chest, flooring him in seconds. "Pītā! What're you doing?! Get away from him!" Sakura yelled, whipping the kunai off of her thigh out and gripping it as tight as could be.

Pītā held up his hand, flat palm basically telling Sakura to stand down. "Everything about that was sloppy, man. Sloppy impersonation, sloppy execution and… well, it was just plain sloppy. No excuse, dude." The lad insulted, planting his sandal firmly on Naruto's orange covered chest.

He struggled and squirmed as best he could; the wind had been well and truly knocked out of him. Panicked hands found the foot of the arachnid, desperately attempting to move it, even budge it a little, but to no avail. It was solid, like a weighted magnet pressing against frail tin foil.

Sakura felt her shoulders slacken, her muscles relax and her white knuckle grip on her kunai loosen. "Wait a minute… are you suggesting—?" She began but was cut off as Pītā leaned on his knee, gazing down at his prey beneath his sandal.

He didn't bother turning his attention towards the girl, his chocolate coloured eyes were instead fixed on the sorry looking forgery of his friend. "That skippy here's not the genuine article? More than just suggesting it, cherry blossom." Pītā replied, confirming her thoughts.

The lad in his grip, the enemy ninja that had chosen the image of Naruto as his cover, didn't bother keeping the charade up. "So you're not… as dumb as you look… big deal," a plume of smoke enveloped him, Pītā kept his foot pressed down just in case.

Gone was the blonde hair, blue eyes and instantly recognizable black whiskers of Naruto. Left in their place, was a messy haired brunette, sporting a forehead protector with the symbol of Amegakure, the Village Hidden in the Rain and wearing some kind of rebreather over his mouth. His voice sounded filtered, talking through the apparatus but for what purpose, neither Pītā nor Sakura had any clue.

Sakura dropped her guard, straightening out of the defensive stance she'd taken as she slipped her kunai back into the holster on her thigh. Had she seriously been prepared to go at it with Pītā? With a creased brow, she really didn't want to answer the question. She'd just… taken action, had instinctively wanted to defend Naruto, a boy that tested her patience every hour of every day but at the end of said day, was still her friend.

The girl shook her head, forcing the mess of thought and feeling towards the furthest corners of her mind as she approached Pītā and the Rain ninja lying on his back. "How did you know? There was nothing giving him away, how on Earth could you tell it wasn't really Naruto?" Sakura pressed, folding her arms and fixing her teammate with a questioning look.

Pītā knew it all too well; it was a look that demanded answers. "Just a hunch, don't worry about it." An off-handed reply slipped out of his concealed mouth, off the cuff and barely audible like an afterthought.

Sakura frowned because of it, the exact same thing had happened back in the Land of Waves, when Pītā had somehow managed to predict the appearance of an innocent rabbit, without any kind of explanation. It was like he… knew things without knowing them, as strange as that sounded to her. It was sort of unnerving in a way, how far did his unusual ability go? What else did he just know?

The thought made Sakura swallow, with Pītā's intense gaze looking her over, carefully studying every one of her features. She felt like she was underneath the penetrating lens of a magnifying glass, as though the boy saw right through her, into her very soul.

Sakura wasn't able to hold eye contact with Pītā a second time, there was just something… wild about those eyes of his, an underlying predatory threat hidden behind such a soft exterior. "I'm getting a little tired of hearing that excuse, Pītā Pākā." She whispered, her words barely escaping her lips as they died in the sombre forest air.

But she knew Pītā heard her, it was starting to dawn on her that he rarely, if ever, missed anything. "I'll happily argue with you some other time, but I'm a little busy with our friend here. So, forgive me for being blunt but I gotta know, what the heck was the plan here? You'd use our teammate to what? Earn our trust? Maybe even play the long game, wait until we fall asleep and then steal our scroll? Was getting caught part of the plan? Wait, don't answer that. Answer this instead, where's our boy, slappy?" Pītā interrogated, narrowing his eyes for added effect.

The Rain Genin, clad in a ridiculously drab yellow jumpsuit, narrowed his own in response. "Ugh... you might talk a big game but… you don't scare me," the lad dared to challenge the Leaf ninja, his nose scrunching up as he grunted.

Pītā clicked his tongue, before he slowly but surely began to put more pressure into his foot, little by little. "You know I'm a spider, right? Well, unless you tell me what I want to know, there's gonna be a sandal shaped hole right where your sternum used to be. Your call, pal." The pre-teen threatened, watching as the boy at his mercy cried out in agony.

Sakura felt the urge to protest but ultimately decided against it, she trusted that Pītā knew what he was doing. "Stop! Stop! You win, okay?! He's a few hundred yards that way! Please, just stop!" The boy yelled, practically screamed his lungs out, as he shakily pointed to the West.

Pītā ceased his foot's descent, prompting the lad to let his head fall back to the dirt soil beneath him in relief. The spider stood at his full height, focusing as he tuned everything else out. After a few seconds of complete silence, almost ringing in a sense, the ever so faint sound of a struggling Naruto entered his ears. It sounded as though the kid's mouth had been gagged with something, no wonder he hadn't been able to hear him.

"Sakura, break ahead and check up on blondie." Pītā ordered, inciting an agreeable nod out of the girl.

Though, before she could leave, a thought struck her. "Are we sure it's safe to? How do we know he didn't bring his teammates?" Sakura posed, features fraught with concern and anticipation as she gazed up and around, scanning the dense foliage and greenery circling them.

Pītā had thought of it, and he hadn't been able to hear anything other than Naruto some distance away, coupled with the panicked, fast-paced heartbeat of the kid beneath his foot. "Nah, he's not smart enough for that. You're all alone, aren't you?" The red and blue Shinobi questioned, managing to pull a reluctant nod out of the lad.

The foreign ninja, sent to the Leaf Village for the honour of becoming a Chūnin, had to steady his filtered breathing. "Didn't want to… ugh… raise any suspicions…" He answered, watching as the spider keeping him pinned in place tilted his head.

Pītā let out a simple scoff, before he leaned down and gripped the kid by the front of his dull yellow jumpsuit. "How'd that work out for you, hotshot?" It was a question that went unanswered, as the Shukeikō-Clan heir promptly jabbed the boy in the nose.

The Rain Genin went limp in Pītā's grasp, head lulling back and arms falling to the forest floor. "Was that really necessary?" Sakura felt the need to speak up; she'd never really been subjected to this side of her comrade before.

Interrogating someone and… she hated to admit it, but he'd actually done a fairly good job of it. "If we don't want him to follow us, sure. Come on, Naruto's waited long enough." Pītā reasoned, dropping the unconscious boy to the ground before turning on his heel.

Sakura gave one last look at the enemy ninja, a boy that had attempted to use their friend in order to deceive them, before stepping around his prone form and joining Pītā. The pair walked in silence before several gargantuan tree roots obstructed their path, prompting them to have to travel over and not around.

Sakura leapt as high as she was able, having to focus her Chakra into the soles of her feet as she fell short of the titanic tree root. She glanced back to see Pītā leap, her youthful emerald eyes widening a fraction as she watched him clear the tree root. It must have been several stories tall, and he'd managed to jump over it in a single precise leap.

It appeared effortless, his arms splayed out to either side of him and his knees brought in close to his torso. The girl quickly followed, scaling the rest of the wooden obstruction without delay. Upon reaching the top, standing on a curved but steady surface, Sakura witnessed Pītā clear the rest of the way. He descended, falling through the humid forest air with what she could only describe as grace, plain and simple.

Sandals thumped into the ground, the lad's legs absorbing the impact of a fifty foot drop. Pītā straightened out of his crouch, reaching his full height as he glanced over his shoulder to find his female teammate reach solid Earth using her incredible Chakra control. She caught up with the spider, nodding before they both bolted ahead.

It didn't take the duo long to stumble upon a confined Naruto, bound with ropes and gagged with a rag. "I've got him," Sakura spoke up, whipping out her kunai and crouching by Naruto's side to cut his bindings.

The first thing the kid did was pull the rag out of his mouth, throwing it to the side and spitting with disgust. "Ugh! That tasted awful! What took you?! I was yelling my lungs out!" Naruto bellowed, cheeks heating up in embarrassment.

Sakura slowly found her feet again, placing a hand on her waist as she eyed the blonde with a glare. "You left our sight for a few minutes and managed to get yourself ambushed, and you're criticizing us?" She asked, a slight hint of bewilderment to her tone.

Naruto opened his mouth to say something, before he paused for a solid second. Was it really the best thing to argue with Sakura? The jinchūriki shook his head, it hadn't been his fault he'd been caught, he hadn't been expecting it.

"I was doing my thing! I was vulnerable! Who sneaks up on a guy when he's… you know, relieving himself!" Naruto defended himself, earning a groan out of the girl and a nod out of Pītā.

Even he had to admit, attacking someone with their pants around their ankles was a totally cheap move. "That's a pretty solid point," Pītā piped up, enticing a nod out of Naruto.

Sakura tried but she was unable to find a good reason to stay mad at Naruto, it simply hadn't been his fault. "Okay, fine… I get it. So… how're we going to do this then? You said it yourself, Pītā. When nature calls, we have to answer." She reluctantly admitted, avoiding eye contact with either lad as she brought up something so… weird.

Pītā found himself scratching the back of his head; he really hadn't been expecting to have a discussion about going to the bathroom. "Look, we're clearly not safe if we split up, right? And I don't think I can hold it in for another five days either, pretty sure my bladder would burst. So, next time any of us need the bathroom, we let each other know and stand guard." He suggested, earning quirks of the eyebrow out of both his friends.

Sakura was the first to speak, offering up the only question she could think of. "Stand guard?" The girl knew exactly what he meant, she just wasn't sure she was comfortable with it.

"Yeah, make sure nobody gets the drop on us like they did with whiskers over here." Pītā playfully cocked a thumb to the lad, causing Naruto to fume slightly.

He folded his arms and huffed, bluer than blue eyes darting off to the side as his blonde brow furrowed. "Not like I let it happen," the twelve year old murmured, unable to see the smirk on Pītā's face.

Sakura nodded, it was the smart thing to do after all. "Okay, I can get behind that. So, we take turns watching one another. You watch Naruto and vice versa but… who watches me?" She innocently posed, and it really had been innocent.

Only after the words had left her mouth did Sakura fully realize what she had suggested, her eyes widening not a fraction but to the size of saucers. "Umm…" Naruto was the first to mutter, whisker decorated cheeks burning as he attempted to wrap his head around the girl's words.

"I don't think…" Pītā attempted to verbalize a simple thought process, though stopped short as his mind stuttered.

Both lads remained deathly silent, blue and brown eyes locked and focused on anything but Sakura. Naruto was busy counting the number of lilies on the grass green ground, almost as if they'd suddenly just sprouted up and between the trio's sandals. Pītā on the other hand, was desperately trying to keep his mind occupied with all manner of things. Simple math sums, a few scientific equations, breaking down the biological formula of the organic silk substance that spun out of his wrists and the ramifications of life on planet Earth and if indeed, life existed elsewhere in the universe.

Simple stuff like that…

"We'll stay within ear shot, so there's no… weirdness. I'll check up on you if you're not back within five minutes, I won't ask verbally, I'll whistle. Upon hearing the whistle, if you're okay and haven't been attacked, whistle back. Not the same whistle, something different. Sound good?" Pītā snapped out of his short foray into the unknown and managed to actually look Sakura in the eyes, he just wanted to move on in all honesty.

The girl nodded, content with his method. "Not great but… yeah, it'll do. Speaking of being attacked, shouldn't we be concerned with just how easy it was for that kid to replace one of us? I mean, we're on our own out here; we're not exactly seasoned veterans. Shouldn't we have some kind of code word? Just in case?" Sakura suggested, and once again, the Kunoichi had a heck of a point.

Pītā glanced at Naruto, the blonde lad returning it with a curious expression of his own. "Any ideas?" The spider questioned, prompting his male comrade to place a finger on his chin.

Naruto appeared to have been in deep thought, though it didn't take too long for his complexion to brighten as he snapped his fingers. "Ramen!" He suggested, grinning all the while.

Pītā's eyebrows shot up, though his eyes held a consistent half-lidded vagueness. "Too predictable, anyone that knows you would be able to guess that." Sakura pitched in, and once again, seemed to have been the only one speaking any sense.

Her emerald green eyes flickered over to Pītā and he shrugged, she was looking to him for some kind of an answer. "Uh… candy apples," he rapidly rattled off, earning a quirk of the eyebrow from both his male and female friends.

Naruto spoke first, while Sakura continued to stare at Pītā as though he was missing his head. "Candy apples? What? That makes no sense at all!" The boy pointed out, skewing his brow as his voice raised a couple hundred decibels.

Pītā blinked once, twice in quick succession. "Well, now I have a constant ringing in my ears so… thank you for that. But let me ask you this, would you guess candy apples?" He pressed, using his little finger to rub the inside of his ear.

Naruto was about to respond, gaping maw wide open, and was ready to poke as many holes in Pītā's logic as he could've managed. But then he paused and thought about it, really thought about it. The guy had a point; he never would've guessed such a phrase in a million years. It was too random, too unpredictable and so off-kilter that it would've served its purpose much better than something rehearsed and prepared.

The lad grinned sheepishly, eyes shut as he rubbed the back of his neck. "You might have a point," Naruto conceded, a little dose of humility in place of his usually brash attitude.

Sakura closed her eyes for a moment, pretty pink eyebrows knotted together as she pondered Pītā's answer. "Only you, Pītā… only you." She whispered, certain that the boy heard her perfectly well.

He scoffed, gloved hands stuffed into his pockets. "I'll try to take that as a compliment," he humorously replied, about to press onward and continue their journey deeper into the forest.

Or they would've, had Pītā not halted in his tracks, chocolate eyes wide and hands clutching at his head. "AGH!" The boy cried, his spider-sense suddenly frying his brain.

Naruto and Sakura instinctively went on the defensive, surrounding their teammate and circling him, eyes scanning every inch of the forest around them. "What happened? Pītā, what's wrong? Say something!" Sakura demanded, glancing at the lad in the corner of her eye.

Pītā's knees buckled and he couldn't support his own weight, not anymore. "Ah… man… something… something hit me," he mumbled, right into the dark blue mask covering his jaw.

Naruto skewed his brow; he'd been watching him the entire time and hadn't seen a single thing out of place. "I didn't see anything!" The kid shouted back, nothing but concern and worry filling his youthfully brash tone.

Probably because Pītā was yelling too, and Pītā usually wasn't one to yell. He was the calm one, the one to maintain his head and keep his cool most of the time. Naruto let his emotions get the better of him all too frequently; it wasn't a bad thing per se, just not ideal in tense situations. But not Pītā, never Pītā.

Even Sakura saw it, that the boy was as steady as a rock, a pillar of strength in the unknown. But then turning around, kunai drawn and teeth gritted—practically grinding together—Sakura saw that Pītā was anything but calm.

He was on the floor, grovelling in the dirt like an animal, wounded and afraid, his ordinarily focused irises wild and panicked. "Pītā? Pītā, what's wrong?! Please, you have to tell us!" Sakura left her post, falling onto the floor knees first to grip his arm.

She was taken aback by what she felt, an impossibly tense mess of shaking muscles, sturdier than concrete. "My head… there's this… thing in my head… oh boy, getting a little dizzy here… never hit this hard before…" Pītā managed to drawl, though could not hear his own voice over the constant buzzing inside his skull.

Like there was something living inside, living inside and trying to get out, desperately clawing at everything just to make a little noise, kick up one hell of a fuss. Sakura didn't understand, she had no clue what he was talking about. What was wrong with his head? Was he hearing things? Had Pītā Pākā really been crazy all this time?

Pītā couldn't explain it, the sensation he was feeling. It was overwhelming, such a shock to the system. He hadn't been expecting it, of course he hadn't. His spider-sense had knocked him for one hell of a loop, but it had never been so powerful before. And it wasn't letting up, which meant that whatever danger it was trying to warn him of, it hadn't passed. Pītā managed to force a hand away from his head, struggling with every fibre of his being as he set it down onto the fine soil of the forest floor, his fingers clenching into a twitching fist.

"Tell me what to do, tell me how to help you!" Sakura cried, her voice growing shakier and shakier.

She'd never seen him in such a state before, like a dying animal, fighting to keep control of himself. Even back in the Land of Waves, when Pītā had been injured during his fight with the demon's partner, Haku, he'd been calm and still. Just lying there, head lulled back on the flat, uncomfortable surface of a half-constructed bridge.

One of his arms had been mutilated, cut right down to the bone, showing off every one of the inner workings of his limb. There'd been blood everywhere, just so much blood. His body was chillingly cold, his skin as pale as ice and breathing growing few and far between. Yet even then, he'd seemed… almost peaceful, in a certain way.

And the first thing Sakura had done upon reaching him, was rest his head in her lap. His messy, unkempt hair had grazed the soft skin of her thighs, frost beginning to set in and whiten the brunette colour. And then Kakashi had taken him from her, lifted the boy into his arms with absolutely no effort at all, like a guardian angel.

"Spider-sense…" Pītā whispered, just quiet and strained enough that only she heard his words.

Though, a part of her wanted to believe that his words were only intended for her anyway. "What? Spider-what?" Sakura whispered back, lowering her head and placing a diligent hand on the front of Pītā's flak jacket.

Whether that was to steady him or simply because she wanted to, she wasn't sure. It didn't matter though, as Pītā gripped her hand, his fierce, shaky gaze finding her own. It almost froze her in place, how palpable those eyes of his were. But she couldn't see the confidence that was normally there, the sheer certainty and kindness those orbs usually conveyed.

No, instead, the only thing Sakura saw… was fear.

"Spider-sense! Move!" Pītā warned, his voice hoarse and breaking as he hoisted her right off of her feet, effortless and manhandling her like a ragdoll.

It happened in seconds, less than seconds. A tenth of a second, such were the blistering speeds he displayed. Before Naruto could blink, something had gripped the front of his orange and blue jacket, flinging him far away from the clearing and into the dense plant life the forest had to offer. He barrelled into a thicket of bushes, rubbing his backside and trying to compute just what had taken place.

Before he could voice his confusion, the boy sat silent and still, witness to a freak occurrence of hurricane-like winds tearing through the forest. Naruto braced, yipping in fear but unable to hear… well, anything. Just overwhelming noise, fluctuating and drowning out any and all forms of 'natural' sound. The kid dug down, lying flat on his stomach and gritting his teeth, just waiting for the ordeal to subside.

The wind, the out of place and unstoppable wind, was like a force of nature, ripping a trench-like path directly into the tree-scattered landscape. Eternity, or what felt like it anyway, passed and Naruto felt brave enough to crack one curious eye open. The first thing he saw, hidden underneath the bush that had broken his fall, like a pillow provided by nature, was a pair of feet.

That was about the extent of what Naruto was able to make out, he didn't want to give away his presence, he had no clue who the pair of feet belonged to after all. The feet began to walk, right by Naruto as he lay in wait. The boy remained perfectly still; it was a good thing too, as two other pairs of feet passed by.

Naruto's first guess was a simple one, and usually, the simplest answer was the correct one. He figured they were an opposing team of ninja, nothing more and nothing less. Though, that assumption was thrown far out of the window as soon as the unknown trio of newcomers began to converse amongst themselves.

"Was it the Uchiha boy?" A voice questioned, nasally and weasel-like in its tone.

Again, Naruto couldn't make anything out lest he expose himself, so opted to sit tight and eavesdrop. "Unfortunately not, no. But I felt something peculiar just now, something raw and untapped. It… changes nothing, proceed with the plan and fan out into the woods. If you see him, if you so much as catch a whiff of that boy, do not engage him. Am I understood?" A second voice sounded, slicing through the quiet in the wake of a whirlwind.

It was female, unlike the first voice, and held a much more… menacing tone to it. Whoever she was, she was clearly the person in charge. As soon as her words left her mouth, the two ninja in her company darted into the trees, disappearing from view and leaving their leader alone. Naruto was glued to the spot, every one of his muscles and motor functions refusing to co-operate.

It didn't take long for the woman, the mysterious female ninja that apparently had the ability to generate immense torrents of wind, to leave herself. Naruto heard the dull pads of sandals soon grow softer and softer, until it completely ceased. And with that, he let out a bout of oxygen he hadn't even been aware he'd been holding.

He felt movement on his right side, and was immediately caught off-guard when a small hand touched his arm. "AH!" Naruto bellowed, rolling away with panicked eyes.

Once he'd gained enough distance from his attacker, the lad hopped to his feet with a kunai drawn, ready to face—

"Sakura? Wait a second, stay back!" Naruto ordered, pointing his kunai knife directly at the pink haired Kunoichi.

She was on her knees, keeping low to the ground to avoid being seen. "Naruto, we really don't have time for this… but fine, candy apples." Sakura gave, a little annoyed but understanding his paranoia.

The lad, her very own crazy teammate, gave a relieved sigh as she crouched there in the dirt. "Man, am I glad it's you! For a second there, I thought someone else was trying to ambush me and there was no way I was letting that happen again, believe it!" The boy chirped, grinning as his friend rose to her feet.

She cut to the chase immediately, not even bothering to brush away the fresh soil on her knees. "I'm glad you're okay, but we can't stay here. We have to move and we have to do it now, Pītā's missing and that woman gave me a serious case of the creeps." Sakura expressed her concerns, her pink eyebrows knotted just as her stomach was.

Naruto arched his own blonde brow, holstering his kunai knife in the meantime. "Duh, of course we can't stay here. Did you hear what they said? They mentioned 'Uchiha', that's Sasuke they're talking about. And if they're looking for him, we have to as well." He reasoned, drawing a questioning glare from his comrade.

Sakura folded her slender arms, vibrant green eyes perplexed by the lad's suggestion. "No, Naruto." She simply stated, blunt and quite honestly, a little tired.

It was now Naruto's turn to be perplexed, arms slack at his side and expression blank. "Huh? No? What do you mean no?" He fired back, blonde brow furrowed.

The pink haired lass stood her ground, holding firm. "I mean… we are not going off on some wild goose chase while Pītā's missing, he's our teammate and our friend… and we don't abandon our friends." It seemed Sakura was the only one of them speaking any sense, for whatever good it did.

Naruto faltered slightly, she was right in more ways than one. "But… come on, Pītā can take care of himself! You know he can! Why're you so worried about him?!" He challenged, reaffirming his proactive stance as he pointed a finger at the girl.

Sakura frowned, ignoring the rather rude act. "Why aren't you?!" She hit right back, fists balled and frankly, a little offended that Naruto wasn't showing an ounce of concern for his friend.

"Because Sasuke might be in danger and if Pītā were here, he'd want to help! Isn't that what Leaf ninja are supposed to do, stick together?" Naruto reasoned, pointing to the swirling symbol of their village on his forehead protector.

Sakura reluctantly nodded, her tone quieter as she calmed herself down. "Of course it is, Naruto. But—" She began, but was ultimately cut off as Naruto beamed.

He spun around on the heels of his blue sandals, starting in the completely opposite direction. "Great! Then it's settled, we have to follow that woman! Come on!" Before the girl could protest, the orange and blue clad pre-teen shot off like a bullet, running as fast as his little legs would allow.

Sakura was rooted to the spot for a moment, nothing but the sound of crickets keeping her company as the humid forest air warmed her skin. She'd been presented with a choice, a rather difficult one at that. Try to search for Pītā in a minor portion of the forest that had been ripped to shreds, vulnerable and alone, ripe for the taking. Or follow Naruto; head into unknown danger but with the small comfort of having a friend there to watch her back.

She almost felt ashamed of herself as she bolted off after Naruto, a steady frown lining her lips as she made her choice. But of the two of them, Naruto was the one most likely to have gotten himself killed. So… there was that, at least.

* * *

"We've been following her for an hour, Naruto. Maybe we should just head back and try—" Sakura's quiet voice reached the ears of the boy ahead of her, though it didn't stop him from cutting her off as he landed on a large, spiralling tree-branch.

Pointing like a kid in a candy store, eager to satisfy his sweet tooth, Naruto replied with a tone in stark contrast to his female teammate's. "Look! Down there! It's her!" The blonde lad alerted his friend, right before she yanked him down to the curved surface of the moss covered branch.

Lying on their stomachs, Team 7—sans their teacher and a third member—curiously peaked down into a large clearing, nestled deep within the forest. The woman, the very same woman that had passed by Naruto an hour earlier, had somehow managed to corner Team 9. It was hard to explain just what the two Genin were witnessing; they themselves were having trouble processing the unusual sight.

Sakura was the first to mutter anything, large green eyes expressing nothing but concern. "Sasuke… what is she doing to them?" She questioned, hoping for some kind of an answer.

Naruto wasn't exactly keen to deliver, he himself had no clue. "Beats me, but it looks like they're paralyzed or something." He observed, spying Sasuke, Sai and Yakumo all on their knees and practically at the mercy of this mystery woman.

The opportunity to make a move came as she brandished three kunai knives, expertly twirling them around her fingers before she took aim. "Sasuke! Don't just stand there! Move!" Naruto bellowed, unable to contain the fear growing within him any longer.

The woman, her hair long and dark in colour, let fly the trio of deadly projectiles with startling accuracy. Sasuke himself was twitching, his teeth gritted as the triangular shapes of steel soared straight for him and his comrades. He barely had any strength left, not after what he'd seen at the hands of the strange woman, the terrifyingly morbid vision of his own violent demise.

Sasuke's fists balled in anger, he wasn't going to sit there and accept his death like some wounded, defenceless animal. All he needed was a push, just a little bit of something to stoke the fires and Naruto's call to arms had been the perfect thing. His eyes shot open, the stark black colour of his orbs gone and replaced by a startling red. The Sharingan activated, giving Sasuke the push he needed.

The push that enabled him to dart out of the path of the kunai, slamming into both of his teammates and saving them from certain death. He tumbled and rolled, already covered in dirt as he landed, both Sai and Yakumo lying still on the forest floor. They were still in some kind of shock, and for whatever reason, remained unable to move a muscle.

Despite their eyes being wide open, Sasuke suspected they weren't aware of anything.

"What have we here? A couple of young interlopers! By all means, join us!" The woman, who upon closer inspection, seemed to hail from the Hidden Grass Village, dared the newcomers.

Sasuke on the other hand, wasn't so thrilled about their timely arrival. "Naruto! Sakura! What're you doing here?!" He yelled up to them, his entire body rigid and face contorted in a show of… he didn't know what he was feeling.

Yes, they'd gotten there in time to help him. But they'd also involved themselves in something they had no business in and in doing so, might've just gotten themselves killed. It was frustrating, and in all of the commotion, Sasuke hadn't even registered the fact that they were missing a rather talkative member.

Naruto shot up to stand, hands on his waist and brow furrowed. "What does it look like we're doing?! Saving your ungrateful butt!" He bellowed back, a frown very clearly painted into his visage.

Sakura joined her teammate, though employed a tone that wasn't quite as bombastic. "We're here to help in any way we can," she told Sasuke, the boy that had been the subject of her affections for as far back as she could remember.

The woman, the eye of the storm and cause of the trouble, gave quite a hearty laugh. "At least make things a little more exciting! Sasuke's been quite the bore," she humorously insulted, apparently having the time of her life.

Sasuke narrowed his glowing red eyes at her; he didn't find anything particularly funny, least of all psychopaths. "Don't listen to her! She's not like the other ninja, she's dangerous!" He urged his former Academy classmates, desperately trying to make them see sense.

They needed to leave, he wasn't even sure what the woman was, whether she was human or demon but she very clearly meant death for anyone stupid enough to cross her. "How flattering, a few more remarks like that and I may just spare your life… but don't hold me to that." She flashed the Uchiha heir a smile, a sickening grin that was supposed to resemble something akin to… charm?

Sasuke straightened up, staring the woman down as she continued to burn holes into him with her cold, dead eyes. "I'm going to tell you one more time, you need to leave right now. Leave and do not come back," the raven haired child warned, his tone deadly serious and sapped of any and all emotion.

Naruto wasn't having any of it, he hadn't followed the crazy lady all that way just to up and leave when things got tough. "No way we're leaving you alone with her!" He hit back, prompting Sasuke to shut his eyes for a short moment in an attempt to nurse his oncoming headache.

Sakura, it seemed, had become much more agreeable with Naruto than she had during their Academy days. "He's right, Sasuke." She simply said, not offering much wiggle room for an argument.

His two fellow Leaf ninja leapt from their high perch, traversing their way down the towering tree they found themselves on. It didn't take long for them to reach Sasuke, both flanking him on either side, their fists balled and ready for anything. The woman, who still hadn't revealed her name, her nature, anything, simply watched them group up with silent intrigue.

Sasuke resisted the urge to sigh; he knew full well that Naruto was not going to listen to him. "You've just gotten yourself killed," he muttered, neither one of them was anywhere near his level of skill and he wasn't even sure whether he'd live to see another day.

The blonde however, simply scoffed at the lad's pessimistic choice of words. "So? We're ninja, isn't that what we do?" Naruto cheekily shot back, throwing a beaming grin his way.

Sasuke's mouth didn't twitch; he wasn't even close to returning the smile. "Stubborn fool," he instead responded, recognizing Naruto as a boy who was simply out of his element.

Sakura too, for that matter. "What did she do to them?" The pink haired girl queried, crouching beside the prone forms of Sai and Yakumo.

Sasuke heard her, but refused to take his eyes away from the devil in front of him. "Paralyzed them with a single look, a single intent to kill." His words confused the girl slightly, forcing someone to lose control of their basic motor functions with just one look seemed a tad hard to believe.

Sakura waved her hand over the glossed over brown eyes of Yakumo, frowning when she received no response. "They're completely out of it," she mumbled, resorting to snapping her fingers in an attempt to earn any kind of reaction.

Sasuke knew it was for naught, they'd been frozen solid by fear. "Take them, Sakura. Take them as far away from here as you can and do it quickly," he requested, drawing a quirk of the pink eyebrow from the girl.

"What're you going to do?" She expressed her concern, though Sasuke merely found it pestering.

He reached into the small pouch around his waist; fishing around for an object that he hoped would put an end to things rather swiftly. "Make a peace offering," his fingers wrapped themselves around the most valuable thing on his person, the blazing red of his eyes fading and dimming back to their stark black colour.

The prodigy ninja raised said item high into the air, showing it off clearly for the demon in front of him to see. "This is what you want, right? Our scroll? That's what you're after, isn't it? If it'll put a stop to this madness then you can have it, take it and leave us in peace." Sasuke proposed, a thin line etched into his lips.

He wasn't happy about it, he wasn't happy about any of it. "What?!" Neither was Naruto for that matter, the boy was completely flabbergasted.

Sakura on the other hand, could hardly believe what she was seeing. "Sasuke…" She whispered, still on her knees by Yakumo's prone side.

Naruto's surprise soon morphed into outrage, narrowing his ocean blue eyes and shaking his fist at the boy that used to bully him. "What the heck's wrong with you?! You're just gonna show your belly at the first sign of trouble?! That's not the Sasuke I know!" He yelled, though his little display did nothing to draw Sasuke's attention.

Without even gazing in the Uzumaki boy's direction, Sasuke spoke evenly and calmly. "You have no idea what's going on, Naruto. For your sake, I suggest you stay out of this." He advised, though Naruto simply steamed more.

The woman, still an enigma to all present, let out a slight laugh. "The prey distracting the predator with something far more precious… a wise choice, boy." She fondly prattled, the very same creepy smile plastered across her pale features.

Sasuke threw the scroll; he didn't need to make a big show of it. "Whatever," he muttered, disdain lacing his voice as he had to grudgingly admit defeat.

Of course, neither he nor his attacker had been expecting Naruto to intervene in the transaction. The jinchūriki moved quick enough to intercept the scroll, holding it close to his chest as he now stood in a triangle formation with Sasuke and the woman. Funnily enough, his bright blue eyes weren't focused on the source of the issue.

No, instead they were trained on the raven haired lad. "I told you, Naruto! I told you to stay out of this, you loser!" Now it was Sasuke's turn to express outrage, outrage for the lad sticking his nose into something that did not involve him.

Naruto wasn't seething, far from it in fact. He wasn't angry, he just felt… disappointed. Severely disappointed that the once great Sasuke Uchiha had amounted to nothing more than a scared-y cat, despite the years of constant and excessive praise from both peers and teachers alike. It was ironic really, and would've been funny in any other situation.

But not this situation, not when so much was at stake. "Is this the journey you've been on since the Academy, since we last saw each other? Your entire life leading up to this point?" Naruto questioned, his tone a far cry from the usual over the top levels he employed.

Sasuke's brow skewed as his expression twisted into one of puzzlement, he was lost. "What on Earth are you talking about?!" Admittedly, he was letting himself get worked up.

Naruto pointed at Sasuke, an accusing finger that instantly felt insulting. "You've changed, Sasuke. You were a lot of things back at the Academy but I never considered you a coward," to his credit, the boy didn't sugar coat his point.

The bluntness made Sasuke stutter, his ebony black eyes widening a fraction as Naruto judged him. "Naruto…" The boy could only murmur, genuinely caught off-guard.

But the orange clad pre-teen didn't want to hear it; he'd had enough of the great Sasuke Uchiha. "Shut up, okay? Just shut up and let me handle this!" Naruto asserted, taking charge of a situation for once.

The woman, with her long snake-like tongue, seemed intrigued by his outburst. "Naruto… that's your name, correct? Tell me, boy, just how exactly are you going to handle this? How are you going to handle me?" She queried, registering his misguided words as something of a challenge.

In any other event, the blonde Genin would've rubbed the back of his head. "Honestly, I haven't thought that far ahead yet." He admitted, though the usual bashfulness that would've gone hand in hand with that statement was lost in the tense standoff.

Sasuke's teeth grinded together, his jaw setting as agitation began to set in. "She's not human… you have no idea how dangerous she really is, you idiot!" The orphaned lad exploded, taking an aggressive step towards his incompetent former classmate.

Naruto mimicked his actions, glaring at the usually stoic face of the abrasive boy. "I might be an idiot, but at least I wasn't gonna let my teammates down! I'd rather die!" His anger met Sasuke's in spades, the two of them engaging in an intense staring contest.

Even with the immediate danger nearby, just stood there, casually watching things unfold with growing mirth. "Boys, boys, boys… please, all of this fuss over little ole' me? It doesn't matter who's the coward or who's the idiot, not when I can simply kill the pair of you and take your scroll that way. I might even leave your little pink haired friend alive; let her tell everyone what happened." That glint of humour soon disappeared, leaving behind a level threat and an unsettling darkness in her eyes.

The two locking steers took their eyes off of each other, forgetting about the bad blood between them for once. Sakura paled, just the mere thought of watching her friends die and being unable to do a single thing to stop it… it chilled the girl to the bone. The issuer of such a harsh, disturbing threat pulled up one of her long cream coloured sleeves, showcasing a curiously bleak looking black marking on her forearm.

The ebony ink stood out as clear as day, perfectly contrasting with the cryptic woman's milk-white skin. She popped her thumb into her fang riddled mouth, nipping the tip to bleed the digit a little. Then, in one swift movement, she brushed her thumb across the winding black tattoo, slicing a red streak directly down the middle.

Naruto bared fangs of his own, human canines for the time being, as he brandished a razor-sharp kunai knife. "In your dreams, lady!" He bellowed, hollering a war cry as he charged her.

Sasuke froze in place as Naruto unflinchingly did the one thing he couldn't have done, fearlessly ran straight for the demon. The boy's usually calculating mind was racing, he knew it was foolish. He knew it was the dumbest move he could've made, practically signing his own will and digging his own grave. But a part of Sasuke, buried deep down in the cold, dark abyss that was his heart, couldn't help but feel impressed.

It all came to a head though; Naruto was unable to reach the woman as she performed a few rapid hand signs before smirking devilishly. "Summoning Jutsu!" Her low, menacing voice called out, the only form of warning Naruto had to leap backwards.

A swirling pillar of smoke and wind erupted, carrying the woman with it, eventually settling her on the gargantuan head of a towering snake. Safe and sound, stood on her very own larger than life reptile. Its diamond patterned armour-like skin was a grim green in colour, the sclera of its eyes was a stark black and the irises themselves were a glistening gold. It might've been majestic, even beautiful if it hadn't been so imposing.

Sakura felt her petit young body involuntarily convulse as the creature raised its tipped tail, aiming directly for the pest of a child dressed in orange and blue. "Naruto, look out!" She cried, getting over the immense lump in her throat.

Alas, the warning came a little too late as the snake swung its wide tail in an arc, swiping the jinchūriki from the side. Naruto was sent wordlessly sprawling, gaining quite a bit of lift as his small body mashed against the solid trunk of a tree. The force was great, enough to elicit a quick gargle of blood out of the child's mouth.

He slid off of the trunk, but didn't fall for long, his descent interrupted by a lifeline in the form of an innocent branch. Of course, the trees and vegetation of the Forest of Death was supersized, so the branch was more akin to a log, reliably strong enough to hold his weight. Sakura gasped, as if she'd felt the impact herself.

Sasuke simply stood there, watching and not doing much of anything. To his credit, concern seemed evident in his eyes, so he wasn't completely heartless. The thing was, he just couldn't bring himself to move. It was as if his arms and legs were locked in place by some unseen force, his limbs ignoring every single command he attempted to give. It was infuriating to say the least, but then again… what on Earth was he supposed to do when he could move again?

The woman, elevated above her choice of game, folded her arms over her chest. "Clever party trick, wouldn't you say? Much bigger than your average, run of the mill snake. Which in turn means a much bigger appetite; let's not disappoint my pet, eh?" She mocked, a toothy grin splitting her face.

She was enjoying every second of it, just about ready to kill a bunch of twelve year olds; she was having the time of her life. Naruto on the other hand, had seen better days. The lad struggled to one knee, kunai still gripped tightly in his hand as blood trickled from his mouth. He was given no warning when the snake attacked yet again, shattering his safe perch from below and hurtling him upwards.

Sakura was still lumbered with Sai and Yakumo, not willing to leave them alone and totally vulnerable. Sasuke was still gawking at the fight, though it was less of a fight and more of a stomp in favour of the crazed woman. He watched, the lights apparently on but with nobody home, as Naruto fell through the air.

Sakura knew what was coming as the giant-sized snake zoned in on the descending Shinobi, its forked tongue tasting the air as a bite to eat grew closer and closer. "No! She's going to kill him, Sasuke! We have to do something!" She pleaded, begging emerald eyes gazing Sasuke's way.

The boy refused to look at them, lest they saw into his very soul. "I… I can't," he muttered, a palpable fear growing inside him like a damn cancer.

The freefalling Naruto didn't wait for somebody to save him, for something inside him pushed him to save himself. The lad's adolescent eyes shot open as he dropped through the sombre air of the forest, like a bird that had just been knocked right out of the sky. A searing red replaced the usual soft blue of his irises, glowing with an intensity that looked hot to the touch.

Naruto's teeth sharpened, resembling something more animalistic in nature as they grinded together, his jaw firmly clenched. Before the snake could react and for that matter, the woman, Naruto slammed his foot directly into the monster's gigantic nose. Unbelievably, the blasted thing flinched.

Though, while that was a feat in itself, the snake ultimately showed little to no discomfort as it whipped at the blonde boy with its forked tongue. "His eyes… as impossible as it may seem, there's just no mistaking it." The woman murmured to herself, watching with increasing interest as the boy was flung away.

Naruto used his momentum to hit a tree sandals first, bending his knees on the jagged bark before launching himself at the towering reptile. "What—what's happening? Sakura, tell me! When did Naruto get so strong?!" Sasuke shook away the spasms that had been plaguing his muscles, throwing a bewildered glance Sakura's way.

The red dressed Kunoichi didn't bother returning it; she couldn't for the life of her take her eyes off of Naruto. "Oh no… it's happening again," she whispered, fleeting images of what happened in the Land of Waves filling her young mind.

Sasuke skewed his brow; he heard her and was about to press her for answer but ultimately dropped the subject. Naruto was putting up much more of a fight; suddenly things didn't seem so utterly hopeless. Flying straight at the woman atop her disproportioned pet, his fist cocked and a roar escaping his mouth, Naruto was about ready to even the odds.

Had the woman not quickly overcome her initial spellbound reaction, bringing her open palm to her lips to blow a swirling monster of a fireball Naruto's way. A continuous stream of blistering heat hit the boy dead on, orange and red flames dancing and mingling as they cooked him mid-air. Once again, for what seemed like the umpteenth time that day, the prankster plummeted out of the air.

He landed with a dull thud, his fall having been broken somewhat by a gathering of thick bushes and vegetation. "A pleasantly surprising distraction, but you're the real star of the show here, Sasuke… let's see how you fair." The woman teased, diverting her attention from the smouldering boy in the bushes to the one that appeared to have been scared stiff.

The long haired woman, almost inhuman in her sadistic enjoyment of such a bleak situation, willed her pet forward. The hulking animal did just that, darting forward and striking with the tried and true accuracy of an alpha predator. Sasuke was a field mouse, nothing. Small, insignificant, warm-blooded and just so damn satisfyingly tasty.

The boy would've moved, probably could've gotten himself clear if he'd been in the right frame of mind. The problem was, he simply wasn't. His charcoal coloured eyes were as wide as saucers, fraught with nothing but terror, the oncoming fear creeping up on him as time seemed to stand still for a moment. The boy was unable to notice Sakura screaming his name, her mouth open and moving but giving off no sound.

A ringing filled his ears, his feet rooted to the firm Earth. Was that what happened before death? No brief flashes of images charting one's entire life, a child's first cry to a final laboured breath? Just the fear, the paralyzing fear that he'd felt only once before in his entire short life. The fear that plagued his dreams at night, glowing red eyes in the darkness, the blood of his clan on the hands of his brother.

And Sasuke couldn't help but feel useless, as if it had somehow been his fault, as if he could've done something more that horrific day.

The snake failed to reach Sasuke, though it came mighty close to its target. "Naruto…" the boy managed to choke out, a lump in his throat like no other.

The blonde Genin, a boy he'd constantly berated in the past—still did—had used two kunai knives and a hefty amount of unnatural strength to ground the snake's fatal bite. Instead of a mouthful of human meat, the snake had to settle for moist soil and sparse bits of grass and plants, its two spear-like fangs buried deep within the forest floor.

Naruto stood with his arms holding onto the hilt of each kunai, the offensive weapons embedded deep into the snake's natural armour-like skin. The wounds bled freely, though again, seemed to have done little damage. The boy's breathing was shaky at best; he was starting to feel pretty tuckered out.

He just barely managed to raise his head as sweat rolled off of him, though he gazed at Sasuke not with relief, but with disgust. "Coward," Naruto blatantly insulted his fellow Leaf ninja, the one everybody constantly worshipped.

Sasuke had no words and even if he did, he felt he couldn't respond. "Frozen in place… like a frightened rabbit… no, there's no way you're the Sasuke I know." Naruto once again spoke, his voice somewhat weak yet his words cutting deep.

The woman, still stood on her perch on the snake's massive head, hummed. "I'm almost tempted to let this play out but… well, I have places to be. That's enough drama for one day, children." She ultimately decided, lashing out her ridiculously long tongue.

The slimy pink organ snaked out, winding down towards a weary Naruto and catching him completely off-guard. It wrapped its way around his arms, waist and legs, restricting his movements to the best of its ability. The boy valiantly attempted to break free, moving his legs as hard and fast as he could but to no avail.

He kicked and screamed as the tongue brought him face to face with the woman, the cause of so much trouble. "Ugh! What is this?! Gross! Let me go before I rip that thing right out of your throat!" The lad threatened, practically growling at her with his razor-sharp teeth.

The woman, still without a name and a clear motivation, chuckled lightly at such a threat. "Oh, look at you… all of that anger, that childish rage; you just don't know what to do with yourself. I bet it's enough to stir a demon, isn't it?" She insinuated, a knowing grin splitting her pale features and greatly unnerving Naruto.

"Shut up! Shut up and fight fair! Let me go and I'll show you how angry I can really get!" Naruto responded, snarling as he felt completely vulnerable in the woman's twisting grasp.

She ignored him however; she'd indulged him long enough. No, she knew what she wanted, what she was looking for. The tip of her tongue, it might as well have been miles long, extended and hooked its way underneath Naruto's orange and blue jacket. It lifted the front, exposing the child's belly and something of significantly more interest.

Staining Naruto's own fair skin were swirling black markings, spiralling around his belly button. "Ah… what have we here?" The woman murmured to herself, multi-tasking as she kept Naruto restrained and managed to also perform yet another hand sign.

Brandishing her right hand, the tips of her fingers suddenly glowed with a purple flame. "Five Pronged Seal!" She exclaimed, reeling her arm back and then shoving it directly into the boy's stomach.

The sheer force of the action was immediately apparent, as Naruto's eyes almost burst out of his head. The lad screamed but nothing left his mouth, no sound or noise of any kind. The air had been sucked out of his lungs, as the woman's fingers burned the surface of his skin. The boy's searing red eyes slowly faded back to their ocean blue colour, the predatory slits widening once more to resemble regular irises.

The woman pulled her hand back, her fingers almost ripping away from the child's stomach as they left their mark. Five black swirls quickly manifested around the boy's original seal, almost surrounding it in a way and outnumbering the eight markings that had been present almost since birth. The Five Pronged Seal disrupted the Eight Sign Seal due to the imbalance of odd and even markings.

As such, it cut off Naruto's innate ability to tap into some of the demonic Charka of the demon lying inside him, the Nine-Tailed Fox. It was all too much for him, a mere boy at the tender age of twelve, and he quickly fell unconscious, slumping like dead weight in the grip of the woman's tongue.

She raised her eyebrows, almost a little upset to waste such an opportunity. "As sad as I am to throw you away for the time being, my business is with the Uchiha heir." She spoke to Naruto, knowing full well her words went unheard.

In a moment's notice, the woman completely discarded Naruto as she flung him off and to the side. "Naruto! I've got you!" Sakura called after the unconscious boy, limply falling through the air.

The girl bolted, taking the chance to leave Sai and Yakumo to save her own teammate. She ran as fast as her legs would carry her, before she stretched her arms out and caught the lad. She tumbled to the ground with him, falling and rolling over the forest floor. Finally, they both stopped. Sakura didn't care that she was covered in dirt and scrapes, as Naruto lay still in her arms. He was potentially hurt, definitely out of it but the most important thing to her was the fact that he was safe.

Still, it didn't change the fact that she was not happy. "I can't believe you're just standing there… I can't believe you let her do that to him… he was the one who wanted to come, he was the one who wanted to help you." She spat at Sasuke, employing a tone she never thought she'd use with him.

Sasuke didn't speak, if anything, he managed a stutter. The woman in front of him, whatever the hell she was, practically screamed death. And Naruto… Naruto had blindly leaped into the fray, had done everything in his power to… to… to just do something, anything at all. He'd just stood there, watching and waiting for the inevitability that was his demise.

The tears came fast as the sheer reality of things hit Sakura in full force, one of her teammates lay unconscious in her slender arms and the other was missing, possibly even dead at that point, she had no clue. And the one flicker of hope left, the one sliver of a chance to change things for the better—her childhood crush for God's sake—absolutely refused to lift a finger and just help her.

It was quiet in the forest, painfully quiet as Sakura took a deep, haggard breath. "I can't believe I'm saying this… I never thought I'd say this… but Naruto's right, Sasuke. You've changed… you're nothing but a coward," she came to the startling conclusion, alien words managing to push their way past her lips.

They had the desired effect, hitting hard and stinging the lad. Sasuke was so caught off-guard by it, by her. A girl that used to pester him and fawn over him at any given opportunity, a girl that had absolutely no clue and failed to take the hint each and every time he met her enthusiasm with indifference.

The girl crouching some distance away, holding her friend in her arms… it couldn't have been that same girl from the Academy. The disappointment in her eyes, like she'd been irreparably betrayed. It messed with Sasuke's mind, his perception of things. And he was instantly—painfully—reminded of the guilt and shame he felt, survivor's guilt as he arrived too late to help his family, finding only a massacre instead.

His father, his mother… and then there was his brother. Just the thought of Itachi, the implications of his image, an image associated with murder, cold-blooded and ferociously unfair. A complete betrayal of love and trust and everything common within the comfortable confines of a close-knit family.

It made his Uchiha blood boil, the very same blood that had stained the streets of Konoha those years ago. "NO!" He roared, his eyes snapping open to reveal the reactivation of the Sharingan.

Only, the original black tomoe had been joined by a second. The woman smirked, as if pleased by the sudden revelation, an advantage for the boy if anything. Sakura dried her tears, hand clutching the orange and blue material of Naruto's jacket as she watched Sasuke finally do something.

"I am no coward," Sasuke declared, his voice devoid of any previous shakiness and uncertainty.

The woman quickly raised her hands to perform a sign, apparently reversing her Summoning Jutsu as the towering terror of a snake exploded into a cloud of sprawling smoke. "Go ahead then, boy. Show me," she challenged, facing off with her target.

The real reason she'd infiltrated the exams, not for any pitiful scroll or the chance to make Chunin. Just for Sasuke, and only Sasuke. The two combatants bolted at one another without a moment's notice, showcasing surprising speed as they quickly met and viciously clashed. Sakura kept her distance from the fight, dragging Naruto over to both Sai and Yakumo and stashing them within the waiting arms of a massive tree root.

Their opponent, whoever she was, was no joke. And despite Sasuke being… well, Sasuke, he was still likely to need a hand. She very much doubted that she could keep pace with anything the two ninja could do, but she followed anyway. It didn't matter that Sasuke wasn't a part of Team 7, like Naruto had stated earlier, he was still a fellow Leaf ninja and so it fell to her to aid him however she could.

Though, there was still that lingering thought at the back of her mind. Just where on Earth was Pītā Pākā?

* * *

Pītā wasn't sure how much time had passed but found himself in a particularly dense section of the forest, wild and untameable, almost out of control; such was the sporadic and chaotic nature of the vines, trees and all manner of plant life in the vicinity. So dense, so thick and obstructing, that Pītā couldn't see far, his vision blocked at some point by towering canopies or vast foliage.

He'd woken up alone, no mischievous blonde lad or pretty pink haired girl by his side. Birds fluttered in the distance, their melodic singing reaching his ears, almost urging him to get up off of his backside and do something. What that something was, Pītā still wasn't sure about that. His head had stopped its infernal pounding, his spider-sense's constant drumming and banging against his skull.

It had been trying to warn him of something—something evil, full of malicious intent—and while it had succeeded, giving him ample time to forcefully throw his friends to safety, it had also rendered him completely vulnerable. Pītā couldn't explain it, probably couldn't begin to understand it even if he wanted to.

The sensation he felt, the overwhelming surge of danger, clear and present and willing and… it kind of paralyzed him. Not completely, never completely. He was so fast, so limber, his body was made—designed—to move. Like a dance, fluid and adaptable. But the assault on his senses, it had almost overtaken him; he had to get away from it, whatever the cost.

The wind attack, an unstoppable force of nature, majestic and frightening all at once. Pītā had let it hit him; let it carry him away from the threat. Even though he'd saved his friends, he was still wrestling with himself. On whether or not he'd made the right call, the right choice.

He was content he'd made the best choice, the best possible outcome… he just wasn't sure if it had been the right one. And that was bugging him, bugging him to the point that Pītā hadn't yet noticed that he wasn't alone anymore. He was so preoccupied, listening to a steady buzzing inside his head—the spider-tracer he'd planted on Sakura before he'd acted—that he failed to notice, to recognize the three new heartbeats that had entered his ears.

Crawling along the massive, moss-covered trunk of a rotting tree—just like the totem of his abilities, the spider—the consistent buzz inside Pītā's skull soon morphed into a full-on blare. Wordlessly, silently, Pītā reacted. He leaped, bending his torso mid-air to avoid something he hadn't seen. Whatever it was, it made short work of the tree he'd been scaling, smashing and splintering the bark, the wood, every inch of it, completely reducing it to dust and shavings in seconds.

Pītā landed, low, crouched and focused, ready to flap his lips and let silk fly. Had his spider-sense not alerted him to immediate danger, not in front of him—searing hot and surely fatal—in the corner of his eye and arcing through the forest air. Pītā was gone a tenth of a second before a bolt of crackling lightning hit its mark, blackening the giant twisting branch of a tree Pītā had been sat on.

Airborne, Pītā ducked beneath two more streams of lightning, originating from somewhere within the maze of tangled vines and winding trees. His spider-sense blared once more, screaming at the boy to avoid the danger on his right. Wasn't nearly as severe as the lightning, or the unseen force that had shattered an entire tree.

Pītā turned his head to the right, he saw nothing. But in that split second of questioning his spider-sense, nothing struck Pītā right across the jaw. It felt solid enough to have been real, but Pītā's eyesight hadn't suddenly stopped working, nothing had been there.

For a moment, the spider flailed before righting himself. Pītā hit the soft dirt of the ground feet first, dropping into a roll before he sprang out of it, lashing out an arm to fire off a web-line. Pītā saw the silk spin, slowly mingling and entwining to become a solid strand of something stronger than steel. He watched as it reached for the nearest anchor point, one of the many spire-like trees dotted every which way around him. And then he saw the line cut, sliced into nothing before it even reached its mark. A kunai sailed through the air, whizzing and whistling before it lodged itself in a boulder, solid rock deeming it a non-threat to Pītā.

Pītā fell back down to Earth, not a long fall considering he'd barely gotten off of the ground. "Someone doesn't want me running," the Shinobi murmured to himself, touching down with a soft grace.

Not even a second passed, and Pītā had to move once more. Something big, something powerful and dangerous struck from above. If it hadn't been for the brunette's uncanny speed, he'd have been crushed. No, not crushed. Absolutely pulverized, reduced to a messy puddle of blood, bones and organs.

But his speed held true, and Pītā had already back-flipped clear of the danger within that non-second of time. It hit the ground, the firm and unyielding Earth and quite surprisingly, made it yield. Dirt, gravel, rock, it didn't matter. It all exploded, flying every which way and shaking the very forest to its deep-rooted foundations. Pītā steadied himself, it felt almost as if a small-scale earthquake had hit.

Not quite as big as the real thing, but a lot louder and much more devastating than a tremor. He held his arms in front of his face, crossed to shield himself and brace for the impact. Luckily, he managed to power through it, brown eyes narrowed and sandals planted like trees themselves.

The dust cleared before settling, allowing Pītā to look upon just what had kicked up such a fuss. His eyes widened slightly, as three male ninja stood in the small crater that had been left by the show of force. The very same three ninja that Pītā had spotted just before entering the forest, the trio of Sand ninja garbed in green.

The heartbeat—the loud and slow methodical thumping—entered Pītā's sensitive ears; he knew exactly who it belonged to. The tallest one, the biggest one, the one who looked at the spider with such a fierce gaze.

"If looks could kill… so, what can I do you for, fellas?" The brunette mumbled the first part to himself, before addressing the trio in a relatively friendly tone.

The big one ignored the nicety, though the two other lads didn't seem as furious, in fact, they almost seemed relaxed in a way. As if there was no danger present, as if Pītā wasn't going to fight back and even if he was, he wasn't going to win. Pītā didn't like that, he didn't like the way they were smiling. Especially the bald kid, he was practically grinning.

Speaking of the bald boy, with his electrifying blue eyes, he gestured Pītā's way. "Please tell me this one has a scroll," everything about him was relaxed, his tone, the way he carried himself.

It only served to prompt Pītā to tighten his hands into fists, ready to use them at a moment's notice. "Impatient as ever, Saidai. Trust me, there's no doubt about it. He's one of the fastest ninja I've ever seen, the way he moved just then… I'd trust a scroll to somebody like that." The other one spoke, a subtle elegance to his tone.

Despite not being the most intimidating kid Pītā had ever seen, something told him that the third kid—with a black bowl haircut that screamed Rock Lee—was the one in charge of the team. He stood straight, no slouching or informality, not exactly the textbook definition of a ninja. His expression held something else too, like a cockiness of sorts, this smug look that Pītā desperately wanted to wipe off.

Finally, the big one spoke. "Don't care about the scroll," short, gruff words filtered through the dark green mask around his jaw.

Pītā wanted to instinctively grip said item, hidden away safely in one of his flak jacket's many compartments. But he refrained, instead setting his jaw and taking a cautious step backwards. His spider-sense was beginning to act up, no clear warning of danger just yet but a quick heads up. Its way of saying 'stay frosty', sharpening his senses and giving him a nice ace in the hole.

Usually at this point, Pītā would've said something funny. Funny to him anyway, but just a smart little comment here and there, a way to lighten the situation, keep everyone off-guard and a way to keep himself calm. But he didn't, not this time. Instead, he simply kept his mouth shut and listened to them talk.

He wanted to know them, know everything about them. Who they were, what made them tick, what was going through their heads, all that jazz. So, as much as it went against his very nature, Pītā let them converse. In the hopes that with each and every word uttered, he learned something new, something important and ultimately, something he could've used against them.

The bald one, Saidai apparently, placed a hand on the big green one's shoulder. "We've been over this, big guy, we get it. Listen, buddy, it's nothing personal—at least not for Kuentin and I—but our friend here? He's got a bit of a score to settle, dig?" He spoke confidently, eyes half lidded and still sporting that same cocksure grin.

Of course, that was until the big one redirected his gaze from Pītā to Saidai, glaring those dangerous daggers at his supposed 'teammate'. The boy took the message, pulling his hand away from the towering boy's shoulder, both himself and that grin of his shrinking.

Finally, Pītā deemed it worthy to reply. "I think there's been some kind of misunderstanding here, what score are we talking about exactly?" He queried, genuine confusion woven within his words.

He'd never seen any of them before; they couldn't have possibly been talking about him. "You're a spider, right? The colours you're wearing, the silk you tried to spin and… oh! That big, obnoxious spider stitched into your flak jacket! Can't forget that now, can we?" Kuentin, who Pītā wasn't a big fan of, cut in.

Pītā's finger glided over the black stitching of his emblem, the one his aunt had masterfully sown for him. "So what if I'm a spider? Why should that matter to you clowns?" He hit back, his voice taking on a tone of annoyance.

Partially because he was getting a little antsy, partially because he wasn't in control of the situation. The spider was outnumbered three to one, a situation he'd never been in before. In the Land of Waves, Pītā's team had had his back against the demon, Zabuza and the ice child, Haku. But in element's unknown, Pītā was practically surrounded. Not exactly ideal, a sentiment echoed by the ever present drone-like buzzing of his trusty spider-sense.

Saidai, the boy missing his hair, shook his head as a grin split his face. "Oh, it doesn't! Personally, I couldn't give a damn. But our boy here—say hi, Mikio—has a serious problem with your kind." He jovially stated, something that rubbed Pītā all the wrong ways.

The brunette frowned, his eyebrows knotted together as they furrowed. "Okay, first off, I have no idea what you're talking about. Second, I really don't care either. Third, you're all very clearly disturbed… like, wow levels of crazy. Fourth, I actually have a prior engagement, so if you'll excuse me, I'll just be on my merry way." Pītā listed off, before backing up and raising his hand to fire off a web-line.

The supposedly named Mikio, the big one clad in varying shades of green armour, stalked his way towards Pītā. The boy towered over the smaller ninja, glaring down at him with scarily intense eyes. A literal shadow was cast over the agile Shinobi's frame, almost as if the Sun had been blotted out of the very sky.

Pītā swallowed the lump in his throat, the Sand ninja mere inches away from him. "My… you're a big one," words escaped his mask covered mouth in the form of a joke, as if it'd have been anything else.

Mikio grunted, and Pītā saw clear as day the sheer restraint the lad was showing. Why, he wasn't sure. Maybe he was waiting for the go ahead… no, even with Kuentin in charge, Mikio didn't strike Pītā as one to take orders. So, what? What on Earth was he waiting for?

Pītā's eyes slowly widened as the answer dawned on him, the realization hitting him like a dead weight to the head. Mikio was waiting for Pītā to take the first shot, make the first move. As if granting him some courtesy, as if Pītā would need the advantage. It could've been considered honourable in a sense, but not to him.

In fact, it sort of made Pītā's spider-infused blood boil. "You can't leave yet, not until our friend here has finished ripping you apart. So, really, you won't be leaving at all." Kuentin chimed in, arms folded, as if he didn't even consider Pītā a credible threat.

Saidai nodded along, now the ball was really rolling. "Don't let his silence fool you; he's super excited about it." The boy mocked, something dancing in his eyes.

But Pītā hadn't noticed it; no… he hadn't taken his chocolate orbs off of the mountain of a boy in front of him. He was twice Pītā's size, a few years older than him and bigger, more threatening in almost every conceivable way.

"You don't even know me," he spoke, in such a hushed tone that his words were clearly only meant for Mikio.

The Genin from the Land of Wind cracked his neck, prepping himself for what was about to happen. "Red and blue, that's all I need to know." Mikio answered, throwing Pītā's words aside as if he hadn't even uttered them.

The twelve year old set his jaw, the gravity of the situation now bearing down on him. He realized that no amount of talking was going to help the situation, trying to appeal to their common sense. So, he was going to have to do things the old fashioned way. It wasn't pretty, but the only thing some people understood was violence.

Pītā diligently gazed around the intimidating frame of Mikio, laying eyes on both Kuentin and Saidai. "So… what, three against one? Is that how it's gonna be? That's a little unfair… for you girls!" The boy reeled back, as fast as his arm would allow.

He lashed out at Mikio, hand balled and ready to inflict some serious damage. Though, Pītā felt himself stiffen when the damage didn't come. No, instead, Mikio had simply caught Pītā's fist. Admittedly, he'd thrown a normal punch, something he had to do constantly in order not to literally decapitate every single enemy he came across.

So he tried again, this time throwing a much harder punch Mikio's way. And once more, he caught it quite comfortably. With both of his fists firmly in the palms of the older lad, Pītā's eyes were like saucers. It had finally happened, after twelve years of being the strongest ninja around, Pītā had finally encountered someone that was stronger than him.

Pītā strained against the force, and found overwhelming resistance. He had a feeling that if he wanted to, Mikio probably could've crushed every single bone in his hands. All the while, Saidai and Kuentin were simply standing by, watching and waiting. As if they'd predicted the outcome ahead of time, mocking the little spider without saying or doing a thing.

"Is it too late to apologize?" Pītā murmured, attempting to make light of the situation though really, was simply trying to buy whatever time he could.

Saidai laughed at the little joke, at least one of them was able to appreciate a bit of levity. "No hard feelings, kid. But bad news, we're still gonna kill you." He continued to laugh, seriously creeping Pītā out.

All the while laughing, Saidai raised his hand towards Pītā, still trapped in Mikio's iron-like grip. His spider-sense blared, forcing the boy to act and act quickly. Like a blur of motion, he reeled his head back before smashing it forward into Mikio's mask covered nose. The spider didn't hold back, there was no point, not against an opponent stronger than he was.

The boy heard the tell-tale sound of a nose breaking, blood flowing freely as the vice around his hands loosened. "That's my cue," Pītā jested, leapfrogging over the shoulders of Mikio.

Just in time to avoid a concentrated blast of neon blue lightning, charring the very Earth he'd been standing on. Pītā swiftly made an oh so familiar hand sign, stronger than steel silk spinning out of his wrist and spiralling straight for Saidai. The line caught the boy square in the chest and with a quick tug, Pītā managed to send the Sand ninja hurtling into Kuentin.

A puff of smoke exploded into the forest air, Saidai tumbled to the ground with Kuentin nowhere in sight. "An illusion… awesome," Pītā muttered, aiming high and firing off yet another life-line in the form of a strand of webbing.

He needed to gain some height, gain some distance and use the environment to his advantage. He wasn't going to beat Mikio using brute strength alone and on top of dealing with a Lightning Jutsu user and Genjutsu user, the odds were severely stacked against him. Being able to do whatever a spider could might not have been able to cut it…

Yet another plume of smoke cascaded into existence, a visibly angry Kuentin left in its swirling wake. "What're you waiting for?! Get after that little punk!" The illusionist, a veritable master in the art even at such a young age, ordered.

Saidai climbed to his feet as he gained his bearings, arcs of pure energy crackling and fluctuating within each of his fingers. "I'm going! Yelling at me isn't gonna make me move any faster! Lightning Style: Lightning Lift Jutsu!" The boy bellowed, performing a hand sign and allowing a sizeable amount of Chakra to pool at his feet.

The kid rocketed off of the ground, leaving a steaming patch of charred dirt in his stead as steady streams of blue electricity emitted from the soles of his feet. "Come on, kid! Don't be like that!" Saidai called out, navigating his way through the thick, humid air of the Forest of Death.

Just like his game, the ninja in foreign territory had to weave and swerve over branches, around trees and through dense foliage. Even while spouting words of peace, the lad continued to throw bolts and bouts of light speed death. The only thing keeping Pītā from being literally fried to a crisp, was his spider-sense. The ability gave Pītā the warning he needed to stay ahead of the curve, precious few seconds to those out of the loop but to him, those seconds were the difference between continued survival and the last great adventure anybody would ever experience.

Saidai suddenly came to an unexpected stop, forcing his feet forward in an attempt to steady himself. The kid—the spider—had disappeared, vanished into the thick labyrinthine structure of surrounding trees and vines. Lightning still flowed out of his soles at a steady rate, but Saidai couldn't keep up this particular technique for long. Allowing him to literally fly using electricity, the Jutsu spent a large amount of Chakra.

"Where the hell… I just wanna talk, kid, honest!" Saidai blatantly fibbed, lied through his teeth as he hovered there, whipping his bald head around every which way.

Just looking for a glimpse of red and blue amongst deep varying shades of green and brown, he really had to be careful what he wished for. "Talk to this, sparky!" Pītā yelled, swinging in out of nowhere, anchored by a reliable web-line.

Saidai attempted to react, throwing his hands up in defence but it proved for naught as two sandals collided with his face. The force behind the blow, Pītā wasn't taking any chances. Saidai dropped out of the sky like a bird without its wings, spiralling towards the quickly ascending ground. The Leaf Genin watched as the enemy landed in a thick gathering of bushes and flowerbeds, apparently having at least a smidgen of luck on his side.

Pītā listened as he shot out another web-line, swinging away from the scene with practised ease. The lad was unconscious, breathing steadily. At least he'd managed to dispatch one of them quite easily, but he was still faced with the task of besting the other two. Or should he have cut his losses and bailed?

"Overconfident idiot! Mikio, I don't care if you settle your petty feud or not but nothing is stopping me from getting that scroll!" Kuentin spat, fists balled and overflowing with anger.

Saidai, ever the brash and arrogant one, had underestimated their opponent. Just because of his smaller stature, his younger age and his less experienced background. Was he honestly the only one that remembered they were facing a kekkei genkai, and a particularly persistent one at that?

Kuentin once again used smoke to mask his movement, employing the Teleportation Jutsu this time around to literally meet his foe mid-air. "What the—?!" Pītā exclaimed, his spider-sense alerting him to the apparent danger just a tad too late.

Kuentin struck Pītā directly across the jaw, the two of them wrestling with each other whilst still airborne. The spider didn't feel the blow; he was much too strong for it to even register. But he certainly didn't expect the paper bomb slapped onto his chest, square on the spider emblem decorating his red flak jacket.

Pītā landed a solid elbow, but silently cursed to himself when his attacker once again vanished in a pillar of smoke. "Son of a—" The boy began, his spider-sense going haywire inside that skull of his.

Even as he attempted to rip the bomb off, it detonated. A bright light engulfed him and his sensitive ears rang like there was no tomorrow, Pītā was blasted right out of the air, his clothes ablaze in spectacular fashion. The boy slammed into the ground, a small dent in the dirt as he tumbled and rolled on reflex. He was trying to stop the flames, the fire getting to him, burning every inch of him.

Moving to his knees, the fire began to pierce his padded flak jacket and finally, made contact with his skin. Pītā screamed, his flesh literally cooking. The pain, the pain was indescribable, something he'd never imagined in his wildest dreams. The boy thrashed about, still alight and yelling his lungs out as the disgusting scent of his own demise began to fill his nostrils.

He was burning alive, and there wasn't a damn thing he could've done about it.

* * *

Another fire raged on some distance away, as the woman from the Hidden Grass Village had been set ablaze by Sasuke Uchiha's Dragon Flame Jutsu. She was pinned to the charred and smoking remains of a tree unfortunate to grow in such close vicinity to the battlefield. The woman, possibly some kind of demon, twitched and shook as thin wires held her in place, almost slicing into her skin.

Sasuke was stood a considerable distance away, battered, bruised and just flat out exhausted. He'd fought hard, harder than he'd had to fight in his entire short life. But the boy, the prodigy ninja, had persevered and proven that when it came down to it, he was no coward.

"I—I can't believe you did it, Sasuke but you did! You did it!" Sakura's voice entered his ears but Sasuke couldn't hear it, not really.

He was solely focused on his enemy, the mysteriously powerful woman that had torn through his team and almost killed him. "Are you okay?" Sakura questioned, and he could hear the light tapping of her sandals against the solid bark of the tree branch he was stood on.

The boy felt a hand on his slumped shoulder, he was almost keeling over for God's sake. "It's all over, Sasuke. You don't have to fight anymore," once again, the girl spoke and Sasuke almost gave a bitter laugh.

It didn't matter that this battle was over; there was always another fight around the corner, waiting to rear its ugly yet necessary head. Laboured breathing masked the sound of wires straining and snapping, struggling to keep a hold of the woman they had trapped. She stepped away from the tree silently, save for the heavy thudding of her own sandals, a stark contrast to how light on her feet Sakura was.

The woman, the skin of her face having been somewhat peeled away curiously, brought her hands up to push her fist into her palm. Her exposed eye, the eye underneath the melted skin, snapped open and revealed a disturbing yellow sclera surrounding a thin black slit of a pupil. It was predatory in nature, closely akin to reptilian and a far cry from her previously human eyes.

The action caused both Sakura and Sasuke to halt in their movements, completely paralyzing them for reasons unknown. "No, not again!" The latter yelled, teeth gritted as he struggled against the invisible force that had a hold on him.

It was too much for Sakura to bear, and she dropped to her knees because of it. "I have to say, Sasuke, you've really impressed me. And I do not say that often, believe me. Such mastery of the Sharingan and at such a young age too, I was unsure at first but… yes, I think I've made up my mind." The woman spoke, though it greatly unnerved the twelve year olds present.

Mid-sentence, her previously feminine voice began to morph into something far deeper, far darker and far more sinister. "You remind me of your brother actually, though… I think your eyes are a little keener than Itachi's." The unidentified man, because clearly it was a guy, complimented in his own twisted way.

Sasuke didn't particularly care, but he snapped to attention as soon as the man mentioned his brother. "Who are you?! What do you want?! Answer me!" He was tired of the run around, tired of not knowing just who he was fighting.

The man felt there was no longer any need for such deceiving acts, so willingly filled the boy in. "My name… is Orochimaru, but as to what I want… I don't think you're quite ready to know that. We'll meet again but that won't happen until you finish this test with the best score possible," Orochimaru revealed his name, a name synonymous with death, as well as a brand new symbol on the forehead protector he was wearing.

The symbol of the Village Hidden in the Grass was gone, replaced by a musical note, the sign of the small and unknown Hidden Sound Village. "Of course, there may be a few surprises in store for you. First you'll have to defeat the Hidden Sound ninja who serve me, should spice things up considerably." He teased events to come, a twitch of the lips accentuating his growing pleasure on the matter.

Sakura, with her hands clutching the dirty, mossy surface of the tree, snapped her head towards the monster before them. "Why don't you just get lost?! If we never meet again, it'll be too soon!" She felt brazen enough to insult, whether it was the wise thing to do was another story entirely.

Orochimaru paid the girl no heed, his one fake eye and one exposed eye still zoned in on Sasuke. "Oh, he and I will meet again. I'll make sure of it," he cryptically stated, bringing his hands up once again to perform some kind of hand sign.

Suddenly, and rather bizarrely, the man's neck elongated and his head shot up and away from his body. It was surreal, creepy and severely disturbing. The head twisted through the air, his neck winding and looping as if he had no spine. He wasn't constricted by the regular rules of human anatomy; it wasn't possible for someone to do that to themselves.

Sasuke would've moved, he had plenty of time to. But the shock of it, the fear in his glowing red eyes as something demonic flew straight for him, rooted him to the spot. He was unable to move, just like he had been at the very start of the altercation, the conflict that continuously spiralled out of control and into something far more dangerous than a simple fight over scrolls.

Two fangs sink into the flesh of his neck, piercing deep enough to draw blood and sending a convulsion of horror through Sasuke's entire pre-teen body. "Sasuke, no!" Sakura cried, though couldn't get to him, couldn't do much of anything really as she grovelled there.

Sasuke felt the teeth pull from his neck, several feelings overcoming him as the head retreated back to its body. "Sasuke? Sasuke, please say something! What did you do to him?!" Sakura grilled, pink brow furrowed as her teeth grinded together.

Orochimaru shrugged, having done what he had set out to do. "I simply gave him a little parting gift, something to remember me by. Very soon, Sasuke will seek me out and desire my power, for this is just a fraction." He explained, granting the girl a little bit of leeway as he really wasn't obliged to do anything.

Sasuke dropped to his knees, his hand clutching his neck as ever so slowly, three ink black marks manifested just above the bite. They formed a small, tight circular formation, very close in shape to the tomoe of the Sharingan. Sakura managed to fight her way to her feet, before joining Sasuke and attempting to comfort him.

"I enjoyed this little demonstration of powers already in your possession; you did quite well for someone of your age. But for now, I'm afraid this is goodbye." Orochimaru smirked as he departed, not through conventional means though.

The enigmatic man, a human question mark, began to slowly sink into the wooden surface of the tree branch below him. It was as if he was slowly melting, fading from sight as Sasuke howled in unbridled pain. Sakura was already at his side, though there wasn't much she could do.

Every time she tried to get a good look at whatever it was Orochimaru did to him, the lad violently jerked away in protest. "Sasuke, I'm here to help. It's going to be all right, you just have to calm down and we can figure this—" Her surprisingly collected words were cut off, Sasuke roared yet again in absolute agony.

He was sweating, shaking and his chest was heaving with every panicked intake of oxygen. It was clear that whatever he was going through was simply too much for him to bear, and as such, he dropped into Sakura's leap in a crumpled heap. The Uchiha heir was out cold, and Sakura had no idea what to do.

"Naruto! Sasuke's hurt, I need you! Please, Naruto!" Her first instinct was to call her teammate, but it slowly dawned on her that like an idiot, she'd completely forgotten that he too was unconscious.

Unconscious, but safe down on the forest floor, along with Sai and Yakumo. Crows fluttered into the air, disturbed and scared by the loud sound of Sakura's frightened voice. Other than that, it was quiet. Deathly quiet, so quiet she could've heard a pin drop. The deafening silence gave way to logical though unnerving thoughts, the hard hitting force of reality crashing down on her tiny, innocent world.

She was all alone, for the first time in her short life, Sakura was all by herself. Her first reaction was to cry, she couldn't help it, it was simply a kneejerk reflex. Naruto was out of commission, Sasuke had just collapsed and Pītā was nowhere to be found. A thought hit the girl as her emerald green eyes lit up, the only thing she could think to do after everything that had happened.

Sakura took a deep breath, pulling in as much air into her fragile lungs as she could. "Pītā!" She let it all go in one hefty scream, tearing the serene calmness of the forest around her to absolute shreds.

She stopped, steadying her breathing as her expectant eyes scoured every inch of the dense plant life around her. As if she was just waiting for the red and blue Shinobi to swing through the trees and land in front of her, one-liner at the ready and those soft brown eyes there to calm her. Needless to say, it didn't happen. And Sakura waited too, waited for it to happen for a good couple of minutes before she bowed her head.

"Please… I don't know what to do," she whispered, a breath of hopelessness and despair escaping her lips.

Sakura was so busy feeling sorry for herself; she was unable to notice the minute red device that had been placed on the back of her equally red dress. It was barely noticeable to the naked eye, but upon closer inspection, it resembled a small eight-legged creature. Clinging to the fabric of her dress, emitting a signal as far as it could manage, the spider-tracer carried out its job.

It was trying to reach its owner…

* * *

Something hit him, in all of the commotion, in the sheer primal panic of burning alive, something struck Pītā with more force than he'd ever experienced in his entire short life. He was suddenly in the air, low to the ground but sailing at such a velocity that everything passed by in a blur. Like a comet breaking through the Earth's atmosphere, Pītā spiralled through the forest.

His body battered against boulders, splitting them in two and smashing them to smithereens. He ploughed through tree trunks, striking them with such force that they literally split in two, causing the colossal plant life to topple over and crash into the dirt ground. The spider began his descent as his momentum began to wear down, causing him to spin out, hitting soft yet firm grass head first.

He ricocheted off the ground, spinning and tumbling, like a rag doll at the mercy of the laws of physics. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of hell on Earth, Pītā came to a stop as his body collided with the unyielding base of an old oak tree. He was nestled between two large, powerful roots, had probably kept the tree grounded and rooted in place for centuries.

The brunette was rattled, his head was spinning but a piece of good news had occurred to him as he lay there, slouched against the tree. "At least I'm not on fire anymore, so… there is that." Pītā uttered the silver lining with slurred words, his smoking body struggling to move.

The source of the blow—Pītā was guessing anyway—landed in front of him, looming over him menacingly. "What the hell—is your—problem?!" Pītā forced out the words as his chest heaved; it just hurt to even breathe.

Mikio, a foreign ninja from the Land of Wind and quite possibly the strongest individual the spider had ever met, grunted as he stood there. "You are, one I will deal with deftly." He answered, plain and simple.

Pītā rose to his feet, ignoring the smoking skin of his exposed chest as he did so. "You know, I'm really trying to give you the benefit of the doubt here, you're probably an okay guy, probably had a rough day and you're probably taking it out on me, right? I don't know, maybe you have daddy issues or something." He half-heartedly muttered, swaying a little as he struggled to find balance on his feet.

He was really trying to buy time, learn more about his powerful opponent. But as Pītā's spider-sense once again jigged across his skull, he had to manoeuvre around a double fisted blow. The boy went low, weaving to the left and ended up behind Mikio. It was astonishing; Pītā felt the sheer force behind the blow.

Pītā understood that it took quite a lot of force to even affect him, let alone 'hurt' him. But something told the lad that if Mikio managed to connect, he could've easily broken his jaw, shattered his skull, knocked more than a few teeth loose. It almost scared Pītā in a sense, a lad with strength comparable to his, if not greater than his, was not holding back.

Now Pītā, he believed that he had to hold back whenever he fought someone. He just had to; it was as simple as that. It came with the territory, being a spider and attempting to be as responsible as possible with his powers. He'd learnt from an early age to hold back, to diminish his strength severely when facing non-super powered foes.

But Mikio, the kid was an entirely different story. He attacked with the ferocity that Pītā lacked, the sheer animalistic savagery that Pītā had a hard time controlling, not letting that very definable aspect of him leak through to the surface and dictate his behaviour. A lot of people forgot, he wasn't entirely human.

"Do not talk about my father! You're not fit to mention him, you disgusting parasite!" Mikio roared, chest heaving as his breath picked up the pace.

Pītā smirked beneath his mask, covered in burns, dirt and little patches of blood he hadn't yet noticed. "Whoa! Where'd that come from?! Parasite!? And here I thought we were bonding! So you don't wanna talk about your parents? Okay, I can respect that. Hell, I can even relate to that. What do you want to talk about, Mikio? Anything in particular as you use my skull as your own personal bongo drum?" He rambled, regaining a little bit of his usual bravado and confidence in the face of an overwhelming enemy.

He was getting the boy angry and Pītā knew full well that when people got angry, they did stupid things. "A man of few words, eh? You know, I actually like that. Gives me the chance to work my magic, talk enough for the both of us. We can share our hopes, our dreams, and our aspirations for the future. So, Man Mountain Mikio, what're you thinking about?" He continued to flap his lips, just spouting inane babble at this point.

Mikio went at him again, though actually realized every high attack was for naught as Pītā stood significantly smaller than he did. "Enough talk, stand and fight!" He charged low, arms and hands reaching for the spider in an almost desperate manner.

Pītā didn't need his spider-sense to avoid the very clearly telegraphed attack, managing to notice something fairly significant about the boy. "I mean, sure. We could do that, yeah. That'd be the extremely easy and quite honestly tempting route, but me? I think I'm gonna take the high road here, I'm nice like that." The Leaf Genin determined that although possibly stronger than him, Mikio was nowhere near as fast or as agile as him.

So, springing over the diving green-clad ninja, Pītā straightened his legs and slammed both sandals into the back of Mikio's helmet wearing head. "Dirt's on the menu, you overgrown man-child." Pītā mocked, quite spitefully too as he heard quite a painful crunch.

Mikio lay still for a moment, his head buried deep in a mound of dirt and grass as Pītā spiralled and landed. "Now that everything's calm, I'm just gonna make sure you don't move a muscle and then we'll talk. Topic of conversation? Why the hell are you trying to kill me, that's as good a place as any to start, right?" Pītā queried, cocking both hands to spray layer upon layer of spider-silk on top of the prone lad.

For a solid second, Pītā was in control. "I'll take your silence as a big 'ole yes!" He was feeling pretty good about himself, sans wrecked flak jacket, numerous burns, charged skin and countless bruises.

And then, because of course, his spider-sense had to go and wreck things for him. A threat approached the boy from the front, the tingles in his head telling him that it was there as clear as day. Though, as Pītā narrowed his chocolate eyes and raised his fists, he couldn't see it. Something hit him directly in the throat, causing the lad to stumble back and choke.

The spider threw a haymaker, a quick and clean jab, his fists moving on their own just to fight off whatever the hell was attacking him. He missed, unable to see, feel or even hear what was coming at him. A shot to the gut winded the boy, he hadn't been expecting it. Pītā coughed and wheezed, almost tempted to tear off that mask of his just to taste the clean air around him.

"It's tough trying to fight something you can't see, isn't it?" A voice entered the Genin's receptive ears, prompting him to snap his head around to the source.

Kuentin stepped out of the deep shadows of the many tall trees dotted around the forest, his hands behind his back and a rather malicious smirk carved into his complexion. "What did you—how're you doing that?" Pītā sucked in as much air as he could, forcing pained words out through gritted teeth.

The Sand ninja, one of the trio that had attacked him, tilted his head to the side and shut his eyes with a sullen smile. "You're not the only with a few tricks up your sleeve, the only difference being… I actually worked hard to attain mine. You want to know more, don't you? Well, in the very same way a magician does not reveal his secrets, neither does a ninja. A good ninja, at least." Kuentin informed him, rather casually too.

Because he was in control of the situation, he'd wrenched it out of Pītā's hands quite forcefully. The dark haired lad—with a bowl haircut that was still painful to look at—raised his hands to perform a hand sign, showcasing a mouth full of pearly whites as he gave a cocky grin.

"Shadow Boxing Jutsu!" Kuentin yelled, before he delivered a solid downward strike, hitting nothing but air.

Pītā's spider-sense alerted him to the unconventional use of Chakra, and actually having the Sand ninja well within his sights helped out as he guessed the trajectory of the unseen attack. The boy turned and raised his forearm to shield himself, feeling a force collide with is blue clothed arm. Pītā's brow knotted itself together; the force of the blow wasn't anything exceptional.

The boy's teammate, Mikio, had easily set the bar for that particular feat. No, Pītā was actually impressed. He'd never heard of such a technique, using Chakra to displace your attacks and project them quite a distance away. A long distance means of getting to an opponent, without having to rely on projectile weapons or elemental Jutsu. It was inventive, something Pītā would've appreciated any other given day.

But not then, not after the beating he'd suffered and certainly not at the mercy of a stuck up kid, the notion of superiority clear in his every word, every movement and mannerism. Pītā watched the older youth spin around and deliver a backwards elbow, again hitting nothing but air. The spider, once again with the invaluable help of his spider-sense, raised both arms to stop the blow.

"I'm guessing your little trick only works if I can't see you, huh? Element of surprise and all that jazz," Pītā spit-balled, launching himself at Kuentin with both arms poised to grab him.

The Shukeikō heir swiped clean through the green-clad Shinobi, watching with growing annoyance as Kuentin exploded into a plume of swirling smoke. "Clever, very clever. Clearly you're not all mindless ferocity and brute strength, not like my teammate over there underneath all of that webbing." His voice echoed through the quite empty patch of forest they found themselves in, bouncing all around the kid dressed in red and blue.

Even with his enhanced hearing, Pītā was having a hard time placing it. "Where the hell…?" He whispered, before his spider-sense ignited and he span around to catch—

No, Pītā batted it away as the tingles grew in intensity. "Not falling for that again, pal." He called out, not bothering to follow the deadly throwing weapon as it exploded mid-air, a minor shockwave passing and ruffling the surrounding foliage of the forest.

A clap followed, a short round of applause for the spider as Kuentin stepped out from behind a particularly wide pine tree. "Like I said, clever. Though cleverness will only get you so far in this world, no… imagination is the real key to success." The teenager lectured, drawing an arch of the eyebrow from his younger quarry.

"Look, I'm sure this would all make for a really interesting book one day but I really don't have the time for this. So, if you don't mind—" Pītā began, turning around to leave, about to launch himself into the air do whatever a spider could.

Had he not been halted in his tracks by Kuentin, hands held behind his back and a completely blank expression painted across his face. "Oh, I do mind, very much so in fact. See, I'm not like my fool teammates. I have nothing to prove, I have nothing to overcompensate for. No, what I really want… is the scroll you're carrying. I entered this series of tests for the very same reason you did, to become a Chūnin. Nothing more, nothing less. Hand it over, slowly and I promise, I'll stay out of Mikio's ridiculously petty vendetta." Pītā guessed it was simply yet another illusion talking to him, though was greeted by yet another Kuentin when he turned around.

Pītā snapped his head between the two them, keeping his guard up and limbs loose as they began to pace around in a wide circle. "Just that easy?" The boy replied, crystal clear scepticism weaved into his tone.

Several more copies of Kuentin appeared—joining the original two in their pacing—spiralling around Pītā like a shiver of sharks, stalking their prey in unnerving silence. "Well, that's entirely up to you." The flock of identical ninja sounded out all at once, their voice merging and melding with one another's to create a creepy harmony.

The spider set his jaw as his hand subconsciously grazed a compartment on his smouldering flak jacket, the one that was holding said scroll safe and sound. Pītā had made up his mind long before Kuentin had asked him to surrender the precious item, long before he'd been confronted with a trio of Shinobi that seemed to have some kind of beef with him.

Handing over the scroll, giving up just like that, in a single moment of pathetic weakness and vulnerability. "Screw yourself," the guy was barking up the wrong tree, there was no way Pītā Pākā was giving anything up.

There was a slight pause, a halt in the incessant pacing as each and every single copy of Kuentin glanced at one another. "We'd really rather not," they replied humorously, not unlike a chorus in their mimicry of each other.

Pītā managed to count at least thirty of them as they rushed him, bolting straight for him and poised for a bout. He fired off as many shots of webbing as he was able, nailing a good few of them and reducing them to nothing but smoke before they swarmed him. The agile ninja strafed, evading a fist aimed right at his jaw. He turned, gripping the arm and flinging the clone over his shoulder.

Another puff of smoke littered the ominous forest, yet Pītā's eyes were fixed on the many images of Kuentin, just trying to get a piece of him. The boy blocked a body shot, before evading to the right to bypass the glinting end of a kunai knife. He dropped low, sweeping his leg and catching three opponents in one fell swoop.

Pītā forced back a knee poised for his skull, employing enough force to send the copy spiralling into the base of a nearby, moss covered tree. A weight hit him from behind and Pītā struggled as one of the many Kuentin's attempted to choke him, the boy found the answer to his problem with a swift elbow aimed at his attacker.

Yet another version of the Sand ninja disappeared into nothing but smoke, though Pītā's spider-sense acted up as three more Kuentin's rushed him. All three of them swiped, kunai in hand, in practically perfect unison as Pītā backed up and waited for an opening. He found it, gripping the wrist of a Kuentin and driving his kunai directly into the chest of another. He didn't resist as Pītā ragged him away from the pillar of smoke, flinging him into the third like dead weight.

Two more copies left the fight in more pops and puffs of dirty smoke, allowing even more of them to fill Pītā's sharp vision. "It's all a little much, isn't it? Even for someone like you with your freaky bloodline, so much power just handed to you on a silver platter. You're everything that's wrong with the world, not you individually but people like you, kekkei genkai's and the like. Let me know if I'm rambling," a voice filtered through the hostile pack of Kuentin's, just serving to agitate Pītā more and more.

Pītā couldn't place it, couldn't begin to even fathom which one of the clones was the real deal. "And people wonder why I hate clones," the lad muttered to himself through gritted teeth, bashing the heads of two copies together.

It almost seemed hopeless, like the fight was going nowhere. For every Kuentin he knocked into next week, two more appeared out of thin air to take their place and continue the good fight. They were clones, Pītā was sure of it. And the thing about clones was that even though they weren't real, they still registered as threats to his spider-sense.

They weren't illusions; they were tangible because they drew upon the strength and Chakra of the user. It was playing havoc with his perceptions, his sense of what was real and what wasn't. His internal musings were interrupted as yet another version of the kid with the ridiculous bowl haircut launched itself at him, prompting Pītā to spin on the spot and nail it in the chest with a particularly devastating roundhouse kick.

"Like that defunct Uchiha-Clan or that pompous Hyūga family… God, Konoha is just a breeding ground for freaks like you." Kuentin reiterated his very clear stance on bloodlines and those born with their abilities, though it raised a certain point.

Pītā backhanded a clone that had leaped at him, before he turned on his heel to pin one against a tree with a thin sheet of spider-silk. "You know, your lips keep flapping but all I'm hearing is a lot of hypocrisy. Your boy over there seems to be in the same boat I am, there's nothing natural about that strength of his. Have you told him you hate ninja with bloodlines?" He stirred the pot, that was his intention at least.

Kuentin scoffed, again confusing Pītā as he couldn't place the source of the sound. "Are you kidding me? Look at the size of the guy, scares the living crap out of me. Plus, even I can't deny he's damn useful. Nope, there's nothing quite like a scorpion to take down a spider." He goaded, drawing an arched eyebrow out of his foe.

The kid in the red and blue had actually been so distracted by the revelation that he failed to notice the ringing of his spider-sense, receiving a sharp cut right down his back for his troubles. "Agh!" The boy yelled out, turning on a dime to crush the clone's head with both of his hands.

Smoke filtered through his fingers as Pītā stood there; luckily his padded flak jacket had taken the brunt of the unexpected sneak attack. "Scorpion? Care to elaborate?" The youth questioned, his spider-sense not letting up one bit.

With danger on all sides—mirror images of Kuentin keeping him on his toes—things certainly felt a little grim for the web-slinger, and the Sand ninja possessed the advantage. "It's clear you haven't brushed up on your own history too well… typical, all of that power and the ignorance to go with it." The foreign Shinobi essentially berated the boy, still nothing more than a disembodied voice within the crowd.

Pītā set his jaw, driving his elbow directly into the solar plexus of yet another clone. "All right, we're done here." He'd had enough, enough of being lectured, enough of being mobbed by his infernal copies.

He had to get to the real Kuentin, the genuine article, the puppeteer pulling the strings. Pītā raised his fist high during a split second lull in the battle, he had just enough room to really reel back and let his fist fly. His knuckles collided with the Earth beneath him, and Pītā made sure to not hold back, not in the slightest. If Mikio was able to uproot solid rock, then so was he.

The result was instantaneous, the boy's small yet powerful fist having the desired effect. Far reaching tree-roots, stretching for miles around in a complete tangled mess of directions, were exposed to sunlight for the first time in their long lived lives. They brought dirt and soil with them, fresh and moist as it scattered and sprinkled every which way, pollinating the landscape. Rocks, boulders—any naturally occurring mineral that was unlucky enough to get caught in the epicentre of the blow—were ripped from their natural place, cracking and crumbling as they shifted and rumbled.

Such a show of strength, such a show of force, was enough to catch even the enigmatic Kuentin off-guard. Every single clone, every single carbon copy of the Suna Shinobi was launched into the air, Pītā's unorthodox strategy acting as a sort of springboard. One by one, suspended in mid-air, they burst apart into pillars of swirling grey smoke. Until finally, much to Pītā's delight, only one of them descended.

Kuentin attempted to right himself in mid-air, though it was much too late. The spider was already upon him, landing a deft kick directly across the jaw. The mysterious ninja crumpled to the ground, nestled amongst rocks and dirt, a result of Pītā's small terraforming of the immediate area. The brunette rose to his full height, before he cracked his neck and let out a groan.

"Not exactly an off-switch but hey, you're unconscious and I'm still standing here." Pītā murmured to himself before he tilted his head inquisitively, a sly thought occurring to him.

Crouching down, the lad quickly began searching and scouring through Kuentin's pockets. "Whoa, smoke grenades… these could definitely come in handy. You don't mind, do you? No? Oh, you're too kind." Pītā prattled to himself, pocketing a handful of the spherical ninja weapons.

After a few more seconds of emptying everything out of the unconscious lad's pockets, Pītā's chocolate coloured eyes lit up. "Knew you'd have your scroll, you didn't strike me as the trusting type. The bald one, what was his name? Saidai? He seemed a few watts short of a light bulb, and don't even get me started on tall, dark and daddy issues." The boy lightly mocked, silently smirking as he pocketed yet another scroll.

Rising to stand, Pītā's moment of levity was short lived. His spider-sense boomed inside his skull, prompting him to instinctually arch backwards. With his feet firmly planted into the forest floor, Pītā was leaning so far backwards that the back of his head almost touched the uprooted dirt and rocks beneath him.

The boy's spider-sense slowed everything around him to a crawl, a warm wind whistling through the air at half its original speed, giving Pītā ample time to react to a brand new threat. Two steel chains, ebony black in colour and tipped by two attached kunai, sailed right over the boy. Pītā's brown orbs almost crossed as he spied them, his hands swiftly reaching up to halt their momentum.

His grip around the metal solidified, steady and unyielding and refusing to let go. The force of the swing behind the chains was great, unable to uproot Pītā's feet from the Earth but great enough that if he hadn't possessed incredible strength, his arms would've been ripped right out of their sockets. The boy stood upright, swinging the chains above his head in an arc before he let rip.

A free Mikio, having shed his silk binds, was slammed hard into a nearby spire of a tree. "Mikio! We were just talking about you! All good things, I promise!" Pītā quipped, though backed up and stood ready.

He'd taken a rather severe beating; battered and bruised was an understatement. It was no secret, Pītā felt a little slower than he usually did. Being set on fire and hammered away at might have been a huge contributor to that, he wasn't sure. But he knew one thing; he knew that he needed to keep his distance with Mikio.

Getting up close only spelled pain, while he may have been faster than the kid, if Mikio got a hold of him, the fight might've been over. Pītā resisted the urge to laugh; the brunette somehow knew that he hadn't put him down. Just a gut feeling of his but he knew, Mikio wasn't going to fall with a few lucky shots.

The Sand ninja, recently revealed as a scorpion of all things, climbed to his feet as both lines of chain retreated back into his armoured green gauntlets. He was about to rush his prey, ready to dive in for the kill when a thought struck him. Mikio's eyes darted over to the prone form of his teammate, Kuentin. Pītā caught it, his own orbs narrowing in suspicion. What was he thinking?

Mikio gripped the base of the tree next to him, his fingers drilling into the very wood with little to no trouble. He made it seem easy, how he just tore the marvel of life and giver of oxygen out of the very ground. Dirt and roots followed it, a tree that must've been centuries old, towering over most buildings back in the Leaf Village.

Mikio held it above his head, using both hands but displaying such strength that it almost rendered Pītā speechless. "Timber," a short word uttered, a word that immediately urged the spider to move.

With his uncanny speed, Pītā could've bounded clear of the thrown tree with ridiculous ease. Though an unconscious Kuentin entered his mind, reminding the boy that he was simply lying there, just waiting to be crushed. The options ran through Pītā's mind at lightning speeds, get Kuentin clear or save his own skin?

Pītā groaned, the kid was a jerk but that really wasn't much incentive to leave him for dead. Having made up his mind, the boy bolted, a blur of motion and he was already by the enemy's side. He hoisted the illusionist into his arms and was about to leap to safety, had a pinpoint accurate kunai knife not tagged him in the back of his leg.

"Agh! No, no, no!" Pītā repeated as he stumbled, his leg buckling as a shadow loomed over him.

The acrobatic Shinobi leaped as far as he could manage, before he made the very conscious decision to throw Kuentin out of harm's way. The tree, colossal and impossibly giant in its size, struck the ground with a resounding thud. The area shook for a short moment, the sheer sound of the impact drowning every other noise out. Including the pained cry of a twelve year old boy, who's leg had just been trapped underneath the devastating weight of a fully grown redwood tree.

With his head flat against the dirt ground, Pītā felt fresh soil in his thick brunette hair. His eyes gazed skyward, spying the occasional bird fluttering overhead, their silhouettes clear as day in the beams of sunlight filtering through the dense treetops. The Forest of Death, a place that could've been regarded as beautiful on any other day.

But not then, not as he lay trapped, helpless and for the first time in his short life, completely at the mercy of someone stronger than him. "What did Proctor-Anko say? There's no room for heroes in the Forest of Death… sound advice," he murmured to himself, before he attempted to shift the gargantuan tree keeping him pinned.

Pītā felt something snap and bit back a scream; he might've just dislocated his leg. "Stay calm… just stay calm, you can get out of this. You can think your way out of this; you need to find your teammates. You need to find Naruto, you need to find Sakura. Don't pass out, whatever you do, don't—" The lad's interrupted as Mikio reminded him of his presence, landing with a weight that mimicked his large stature.

He stood over the downed spider, feet on either side of Pītā's torso. "Wait, if you just wait a second, we can talk and figure this out. It doesn't have to go like this, please just—" Pītā was cut off as a fist collided with his face, instantly shutting him up.

His ears started to ring; it seemed every single time he got hit, it was harder than the last. He felt his nose burst, Mikio paying him back for that earlier head-butt. Appropriate, really. He felt a hand grip the front of his flak jacket, forcing him off of his back for a short moment. He was hit again, though raised his hands in an attempt to fight against the scorpion's vice-like grip.

A startled yelp left his lips, he couldn't help it. "Dude… you're insane," Pītā drawled, blood staining the deep blue of his mask as it flowed freely from his broken nose.

He was hit again, a fist colliding with his fist and forcing him back down to the Earth in a heap of pain and exhaustion. "No, I think I'm well within reason here." Mikio responded, watching as Pītā struggled to raise his arms.

They fell back by his side, sapped of strength and motivation. "You're a scorpion… right? A scorpion and… and a spider, I know what happened between us." Pītā managed to slur, though his words were bordering on incoherent as the ringing in his ears persisted.

"Not just any scorpion, _the_ scorpion. I'm the last of my kind, everyone else… they're gone now." Mikio revealed, his cold dead eyes flickering away from his quarry for a split second to display what could only be described as sorrow.

Pītā nodded, slowly and difficultly. "Right there with you, pal… my parents died when I was born. Figures, right?" A weak joke slipped past his concealed lips, though it drew no form of reaction from the Sand ninja.

If Mikio had heard the boy or even cared about his words, he certainly didn't show it. "We don't… don't even know each other, man. What happened between our kind… it was a long time ago, it doesn't have to be that way for us." Instead, he replied one again with violence.

Pītā was competent enough to raise his hand and fire off a bolt of webbing at Mikio, he had to try something. "Blinding me won't help, little spider. I have hold of you and I'm not letting go until I feel the life leave your body." He ripped the sticky silk from his eyes, suffering through the stinging sensation as he reeled back.

He hit Pītā again, reeled back and then hit him a second time. A third time and Pītā almost felt his neck break, such was the force. Mikio didn't let up, not even for a second. He kept hitting him, his arm moving so fast it resembled a jackhammer more than it did a human limb. Pītā felt something pop inside his eyes, his face swelling up as countless blood vessels burst, pooling the white sclera with a crimson red.

Pītā's spider-sense continued to buzz, like a broken alarm that just didn't know when to stop. The boy's arms lay at his side, the life leaving him as he was slowly but surely succumbing to the most savage and brutal beating of his life. Pītā wasn't sure whether he'd die there, alone in an unfamiliar, hostile forest. No friends by his side, no-one to see just what he'd had to fight against all by himself.

He might've died there, had his spider-sense not suddenly spiked in a rather dramatic fashion, alerting him to something in the distance. A voice, a very familiar voice that he'd had to listen to for most of his life. It was Sakura, there was no mistaking it, even with how out of it he was. She was screaming her lungs out, her tone distraught and distressed.

She was screaming his name…

Pītā's eyes snapped open, as far as he could manage with how swollen they were. Lifting his arm with energy and effort he shouldn't have had, Pītā managed to catch Mikio's fist. At first, the boy hammering away at his face was surprised. It was astonishing, the only other expression Pītā had seen on his face other than constant rage and then aggressive indifference.

"Don't even try it; you're nowhere near strong enough." Mikio advised, pressuring the spider's hand as he pushed against it.

Pītā's arm shook, twitched and was about ready to give as the scorpion steadily overpowered him. "Don't… have to be," he muttered, before bringing his other hand into the fray.

He didn't waste any time, quickly pulling the bone of Mikio's wrist out of place with a violent jerk. "Agh!" He howled in agony, pulling his arm away from Pītā to nurse it.

The single second it had granted him, Pītā made a very heavy choice. He was incredibly weak; he didn't have it in him to go another round with the Sand ninja, not after everything he'd been through. Pītā ached all over; there wasn't a single inch of him that felt fine, spry and ready to go. He needed to rest; he needed to get as far away from the trio of Suna Shinobi as possible, find somewhere quiet and isolated and just sleep for a good few decades.

But most importantly, he needed to find his friends. Pītā didn't say anything as he quickly reached into the holster on his thigh, unsheathing a sharp and practically never used kunai knife. He didn't hesitate as he made the difficult choice; it was either do it and live or don't do it and die alone at the hands of an animal.

But that didn't mean it felt good, in fact, it felt downright dirty. But he didn't see himself as a hero; he didn't see himself as a good person. At the end of the day, he was simply a ninja. Pītā reached high and jammed the kunai into Mikio's torso, spraying blood all over his already bludgeoned face, the crimson liquid mingling with his own. The expression on the scorpion's face said it all, with his cold eyes as wide as saucers, staring into the narrowed angry orbs of the spider.

"You… you stabbed me…" whips of words gently made their way past Mikio's masked lips, strained and startled in their delivery.

Pītā's breathing was fast and ragged as he replied, pulling the kunai out of his enemy's stomach. "You sound surprised," he drove it deep once more, the ripping and tearing of human flesh filling his highly sensitive ears.

The boy repeated the action over and over again; stabbing Mikio so many times that he'd practically lost count. His arm was sore, and it was the only reason he eventually stopped. He didn't stop because of the excessive amount of blood pooling around them, he didn't stop because of the ghost-like colour of Mikio's complexion.

He stopped because he was tired, plain and simple.

Pītā fell back to the floor as Mikio stumbled away from him, clutching his bleeding stomach as best he could, both hands firm, even with the knife still lodged in the wound. He couldn't do anything as Pītā summoned the strength to use his free leg, pressing his foot against the heavy trunk of the collapsed tree and pushing with all his might.

Using his spider-strength, the redwood slowly rolled off of Pītā's injured leg. He took his time getting to his feet, he had to. His head was still slightly spinning, things just barely coming into focus as he found his bearings. Silence set in as Pītā watched Mikio fall to his knees, staring at the injury carefully and rather… inquisitively.

"Where've you been hiding all this time? Where was that savagery earlier?" Mikio murmured, drawing a blank, indifferent look from Pītā.

The boy stood there, just trying to see two feet in front of him as he remained steady on his wobbly legs. "If your healing factor's anything like mine, even with the blood loss, it should have that stitched up in no time." Pītā reminded the lad through hastened breathing that it wasn't the end of the world; a simple knife to the stomach was not going to kill a scorpion or even a spider for that matter.

Mikio scoffed, turning to look at the red and blue bug with pure disdain in those animalistic eyes of his. "Trying to defend your actions? Trying to make yourself feel better about stabbing an enemy ninja, one that was about to take your life? God, you're green." The boy insulted, calling out his enemy on his naivety and young age.

Pītā slumped against the tree trunk that had once pinned his leg, trying to force some measure of control over his oxygen intake. "I'm not… I'm not trying to defend anything, I try to take responsibility for my actions and this time is no different. You can call it whatever you want, but I don't think I'm quite ready to take a life yet, not even yours… not today." He figured, thinking back to that fateful day with Kakashi-Sensei.

The boy, no older than twelve, recalled everything about it. Every miniscule detail, every unimportant thing about that day, remembered in such vivid frames, like a painting or some other horrible work of art. The swift sound of a sharpened knife cutting into flesh, the heavy liquid that kept people alive, pumped through their veins every second of every day, staining the green blades of grass beneath the scene. Pītā shook his head, half trying to forget those gruesome details and half attempting to wave away an oncoming migraine.

The whites of his eyes were still a deep red, it'd take some time for the blood vessels to repair themselves and clear up the unsettling colour. He bit back a grunt of pain, holding his side, holding everywhere really as every inch of him ached with a dull pain. Grievous wound to the torso and broken wrist aside, Mikio still looked the picture of health.

"Interesting, a Shinobi—no, a spider not yet ready to take a life. Are you afraid? Is that it? You're scared of what it'll feel like? Or maybe you simply don't want to make that decision, to take a life into your own hands and severe the chord, the very thread keeping them tethered to this Earth." Mikio theorized, airing his thoughts loud enough for his company to hear them.

Though, Pītā didn't think they were meant for him. "Getting all philosophical on me all of a sudden? I'm not like you, if that's what you're getting at." The scorpion, hailing from the deep heat of the desert, was probably talking to himself.

Mikio clutched the injury ailing him, a deep red glistening his dark green gloves. "You know this?" The foreign ninja queried, before he himself took a seat by the downed bark of the redwood.

It was Pītā's turn to scoff, quite spitefully too. "I don't have to know… I saw it, the look in your eyes as you were using my face as your own personal stress reliever. Cold, unfeeling, not a hint of hesitation or a trace of remorse. You're a killer, Mikio… plain and simple. And you don't kill because you have to either, like a regular ninja, honourable warriors defending themselves in mortal combat. No, you kill because you want to. Because you don't see that there's any other option, that it doesn't have to come down to you or someone else every… single… time," he lectured, turning to gaze down at the larger predator.

Just sat there, staring out into the forest, slumped against the tree and holding his stomach. "You're not cut out to be a Shinobi, little spider. Perhaps you should find another line of work, a psychologist maybe?" Mikio joked, and Pītā was certain that he was smiling underneath that mask of his, completely identical to his own.

It was bizarre, to say the least. Having almost killed someone—a child no less—he'd been stabbed in the gut as a last ditch attempt at survival, and he still found the humour in things. There was no doubt in Pītā's mind, even with how competent the kid sounded in lieu of recent harrowing events. Mikio was out of his mind, the loosest of loose cannons.

The Leaf Genin pushed himself off of the fallen tree, doubling as his support as he decided that it was time to go. "Mock me all you want, but I see—I feel the weight in taking a life, there's no going back after that. I'm not an idiot; it's unavoidable in our line of work. But I can't do it flippantly and without a care in the world, not like you… never like you. If I find myself in a situation where it's me or someone else, and there's no other way, no other means of escaping that decision, no other peaceful solution… then yeah, I guess I'll have to kill someone." He reasoned, tilting his head a little as the words left his mouth.

Like they tasted wrong, sour as they passed his lips. The armoured green ninja simply raised his head, slowly as his steely eyes settled upon the boy stood before him. Pītā saw the scepticism in them, the disbelief. Like he was a child dressed in his parent's clothes, pretending to be something he simply wasn't. A boy pretending to be a spider… or was he a spider pretending to be a boy?

Pītā didn't care what Mikio thought of him, he didn't tend to value the opinion of someone that had just tried to shatter his skull and smear his brain matter all over the surrounding forest. "And hey, you never know… that someone could be you. So, consider this a promise. If that someone is you, and we find ourselves walking down a path where only one of us can return… you can bet that you will not be coming back." He finalized, standing there for a moment to let the words linger.

To let the challenge sink in, to let Mikio know that he was being completely serious. No more joking, no more child's play. Pītā left without another word, dragging his damaged leg along the uneven floor of the Forest of Death. Even with his injuries, even though he could barely see his hand in front of his face, he had somewhere to be.

Though, he felt the urge to turn around and face his foe one more time. "I'd wish you luck with the rest of the exams and everything but… well, I'd be lying. Go to hell, Mikio." The brunette spat, his usually jovial and friendly tone nowhere to be found.

He didn't give Mikio time to reply, instead turning on his heel and disappearing out of sight. "I'm coming, Sakura." Pītā whispered to himself, as though he was trying to give himself a reason to move, teeth grinding together as he pushed on.

Mikio's head lulled back against the orange, reddish bark of the redwood tree. His eyes never left the shrinking form of Pītā Pākā, the last living spider on the face of this Godforsaken Earth. The boy had taken his team's scroll, he didn't care, they'd find another one easy enough. To be honest, he could've killed Pītā there and then.

Physically, he outmatched Pītā in strength as well as durability. The repeated kunai knife to the gut hadn't actually hurt all that much, Mikio simply wanted to push the lad into letting it all out. Into shedding that pathetic disguise he wore, the disguise of a good person… of a hero. The thing about heroes, they were painfully easy to manipulate and trap. Kuentin had been the perfect bait underneath the shadow of a collapsing tree; Pītā simply couldn't help himself in saving his life.

No, Mikio wanted to wait. He wanted to wait until the right moment, the absolute perfect time to strike. The later stages of the Chūnin Exams, the one on one duels where no-one else could interfere, could get in the way of his hunt. And then there was the audience, thousands of pairs of eyes watching and waiting. It was no good killing the last living spider if nobody was around to see it, patience was a virtue.

Then, and only then, would he proceed to pick him apart. In front of his friends, in front of his closest allies and teachers and every single important person in his life. Right there, on his turf, right in the centre of the Hidden Leaf Village. A spider would die and a scorpion would be victorious, once again restoring honour and glory to his long deceased clan.

If anything, Mikio was looking forward to the day. "So be it, little spider… so be it." He mumbled, the corners of his mouth twitching as he yanked the kunai knife from his gut, letting his healing factor begin the slow process of stitching him back together.

* * *

Anko Mitarashi stood before a shrine that had been desecrated, coated with spatters of foreign blood and littered with the bodies of three deceased ninja. They weren't ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village, thank God, but even she still felt a little sorry for them. They'd died a particularly grisly death, being slaughtered and all.

"All three of them signed up for the Chūnin Exams, sent by their village in an effort to move up in the world. I know that dying is a very real concern when it comes to these exams but… look at them, their damn faces were stolen." Kotetsu Hagane, one of the Chūnin ninja overseeing the exams, expressed a very morbid thought as he flanked Anko.

All the while still nursing that arm of his safely held within the confines of a sling, courtesy of one particular spider who wasn't feeling very friendly. He along with his regular partner in crime, Izumo Kamizuki, had stumbled upon the lifeless corpses of the foreign visitors.

The female Jōnin, renowned throughout Konoha for having a few screws loose, seemed anything but crazy as she gazed down at the victims. Anko gritted her teeth as she reached up to her neck, feeling around for a souvenir left behind some years ago. There was no mistaking his involvement; the man that had branded her with the Heaven's Curse Mark was the very same man that had murdered the three Grass Genin.

The missing faces were his usual M.O, as odd as that was; she couldn't just put it down to a mere coincidence. But the question was, why on Earth had Orochimaru chosen to infiltrate the Chūnin Exams? If he could get in and out of the village so easily, why had he done it for something so trivial? The gears in Anko's head began to turn and the only reason that kept consistently popping up was one she hoped wasn't true, there was something he wanted in the Forest of Death.

And Anko doubted he was after a Heaven or Earth scroll, which meant… "He's after a student, maybe several students, I don't know. I want the files of these three ninja, their ; I want to know what they look—what they used to look like." She ordered, spinning on the spot to address Kotetsu, her long overcoat billowing in a breeze that was picking up.

The messy haired brunette, as if he'd read the woman's mind, had three files already on hand. "So this is the face you've chosen, the only woman of the three… because that's not creepy at all." Anko murmured to herself, her brown eyes zoning in on the long dark hair and deathly pale skin of 'Shiore'.

When had it happened? When had he managed to slip in amongst the rabble of rookies and aspiring Chūnin? She had no idea; she'd been too busy trying to scare them all and then joking around with Kakashi's kids. She couldn't have known, but that didn't stop the guilty feeling that had begun to grow inside her.

Three people were dead, granted they had nothing to do with the Leaf but still… she couldn't allow anyone else to suffer. "Take this news to Lord Hokage, tell him everything and I mean everything. While you're at it, I want a couple of ANBU convoys sent into the forest as soon as possible." Anko exclaimed, her urgent and uncharacteristic tone prompting Kotetsu to stand at attention.

"And you, Anko? What'll you do?" He felt brave enough to question, she wasn't exactly the type of woman to sit around and do nothing while everyone else got in on the action.

She turned her back on him, stalking towards the Forest of Death like a woman on a mission. "What kinda dumb question is that? I'm headed in after whoever did this; see if I can't bloody my kunai before those ANBU boys beat me to it. What're you still standing there for? I said move!" Anko yelled, startling Kotetsu greatly.

He reluctantly nodded before disappearing out of sight, employing quick use of the Teleportation Jutsu. Anko on the other hand, broke into a full sprint, her legs pumping as fast as she could make them in the direction of the mile wide forest. While it might have been wise to share the fact that Orochimaru, an S-Rank missing-nin from Otogakure was behind everything, Anko was feeling slightly selfish.

She wanted a crack at him before anything else, for what he did to her all those years ago and to prevent him from doing it to anybody else. "I only hope I'm not too late," she mused between the measured breaths she was taking, leaping up as high as she could as she reached the tall trees of the forest.

Orochimaru was nobody else's responsibility but hers, at least as far as she was concerned.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Well, that was certainly a blast. Sasuke's team and Naruto are out of commission, Sakura's on her own, Pītā's aimlessly wandering through the forest after almost being beaten to death and Anko's pursuing Orochimaru! A lot of stuff's happening next chapter, Sakura has to defend a small group of unconscious ninja all by herself and Orochimaru may just take notice of another potential Curse Mark candidate. Whether he succeeds or not, well... Anko might have something to say about that.

And if there's anybody out there still not sure who those three dudes Pītā fought were, they were the Narutoverse incarnations of the Scorpion, Mysterio and Electro.

Thanks a bunch for reading, guys! I really appreciate it!

On a sort of related note, Captain America: Civil War was released over here in the UK April 29th. Now, I know it isn't due to come out yet in the US until May 6th so I promise, no spoilers from me here. I will just say this though, in case anyone's wondering. The movie is incredible, by far my favorite Marvel movie. Not just my favorite Marvel movie, but also my favorite comic book movie in general. Not just my favorite comic book movie in general but also my absolute favorite movie of all time, it is that good, seriously.

And for any doubters or worriers out there, Tom Holland absolutely nailed it as the brand new MCU web-slinger, Spider-Man. He's everything you've ever wanted out of the character and is finally where he belongs, he's home, guys!

 **Guest Reviews:**

 **DracoKnight:** I loved writing Anko and Pītā, hilarious stuff. There's much more to come of that next chapter, so be on the lookout. Some character deaths will go as canon, some won't. This is completely AU; a lot of stuff is different so expect a few twists. At some point down the line there may be room to squeeze in a Black Cat appearance, but it won't be until Pītā's older and if anything, will be a one-off.

 **Aztec 13:** I can a lot with other Marvel characters at some point down the line, but they'll most likely end up as solo adventures and one-offs. They won't have any impact on the main story, they might only be mentioned once or twice but if I can figure out a way to do it and not make it seemed forced or inorganic, it'll happen.

 **atom king:** I think the heroes most likely to appear at some point down the line are Daredevil, Wolverine, Iron Fist and Shang-Chi. If I can figure out some way to bring Hulk into things in a kind of spin-off solo adventure then I will, but if it serves no purpose, it won't happen.

 **skyline 10:** Glad you're enjoying things so far! The Rhino won't make an appearance until Pītā's older; right now the only known Spider-Man rogues operating in this world are Doctor Octopus, the Scorpion, Mysterio and Electro.

 **A Random Reader:** Thanks a bunch, man! I work hard to make sure each character is portrayed as best as possible, which is tough but totally worth it. Thanks for the review!

 **justaguest:** Ah, well you can't win 'em all :P Well, the things is, even though Sasuke isn't a part of Team 7, him receiving the Curse Mark is a big deal for him. I couldn't change it, so I had to engineer things to proceed as usual while also offering something fresh by way of Pītā's fight with the Sand ninja. The Forest of Death section should only last two chapters, I originally only wanted it to last one but I realized how much happens and it just wasn't going to happen. The Sound fight is still coming, Team Guy will be involved but they'll be a few changes here and there.

 **Matt:** Here you go, Matt :P

 **Guest:** I think it'd be pretty poor form on my part if I didn't include the Hand somewhere down the line, and they go hand in hand with the Man Without Fear. So, who knows? :P

 **Guest2:** Pītā won't receive the Curse Mark, it's Sasuke's thing and Pītā's already pretty powerful as it is. That doesn't mean Orochimaru won't try though :P

 **Guest3:** Somewhere down the line, who knows? The Venom symbiote will be making an appearance in some capacity; Pītā will be the first to wield it just like he always is. Anything could happen when it comes time to part with it; it could very well attempt to target his friends.

 **Jack:** One update with everything on it :P

 **DocKucCRO:** Iron Fist's one of the heroes that would fit pretty well into this world, so expect to see him at some point in the future.

 **coldblue:** I have seen Deadpool and I thought it was excellent, very true to the character and just incredibly enjoyable all around. There's always a chance any Marvel hero could show up in the future, Wade might be fun to cover in a sort of one-off capacity. I might even create a separate story at some point, covering Pītā's meetings with Narutoverse versions of Marvel heroes. I don't know, depends.

Pītā could definitely learn a little Fuinjutsu at some point; I think Tenten could potentially teach him something like that.

I've discussed this with Deadpoolsson a few times; Pītā will be able to summon quite a few spiders. Similar to the toads, they'll be several of them and they'll each have their own role and personality. Also, their personalities are based on the kind of species they are.

The spider-tracer was used this chapter and it will lead Pītā to Sakura and Naruto eventually, but it plays a bigger and much more important role during the final round of the exams. I won't give away why, but Pītā ends up heavily relying on it.

Without giving too much away, I think Juria will be a little hesitant at the prospect of training a young, impressionable spider. She might come around, and if she does, she'll teach him Chakra control and a little more before the final round of the exams.

Thanks for all the questions, as always!


	11. Partners in Crime

**Author's Note:** Hey guys, sorry for the wait, I spent a good while on this chapter to get everything right. There's a lot of stuff in this one, a lot of fighting mostly. This chapter is all about Anko, Orochimaru and Pītā with a little side of Sakura.

I gave this one my all and I really hope you dig it, thanks!

 **Disclaimer:** Spider-Man and all related characters are owned by Marvel and in turn, Disney. Naruto and all related characters are owned by Masashi Kishimoto, I own nothing.

* * *

 **Partners in Crime (Chūnin Exams Arc)**

It was quiet, a little too quiet for Anko Mitarashi's liking. The purple haired woman, a Tokubetsu-Jōnin belonging to the Village Hidden in the Leaves, had journeyed through the dangerous territory of the Forest of Death to find someone. Someone of vital importance to her, someone who had unknowingly shaped the very person she'd become. Someone who, despite their importance, sorely needed to die.

And Anko had taken it upon herself to shoulder that burden, that responsibility. For the someone she was after, a missing-nin by the name of Orochimaru, was a monster. A vile, horrible and cruel excuse for a human being that deserved nothing less than the cold black of death. It wouldn't have been quick either; Anko was intent on making the man suffer for all he'd done.

Countless deaths all attributed to him, countless lives he'd ruined, and countless individuals he'd touched and therefore tainted. Orochimaru cast a shadow of darkness everywhere he went, and it was high time somebody did something about it. That somebody was Anko, the man's former student.

She'd been one of many of course, back when the ninja was held in high regard, still in good standing with the Hokage and his village. Orochimaru was one of the legendary Shinin, a group of four of the most talented, powerful and highly skilled ninja of their time. The quartet counted Jiraiya, the Toad Sage amongst its members. The man was renowned for the series of adult novels he wrote titled Make Out, a series that Anko frequently found Kakashi reading.

The second member and arguably the most famous, specifically with aspiring female ninja, was Lady Tsunade. Famed for being one of the world's strongest Kunoichi and its greatest medical-nin, the woman was a force to be reckoned with. While Jiraiya's sparse visits to Konoha were attributed to his standing as a notorious hermit, Tsunade had simply abandoned the life of a ninja altogether due to constant emotional trauma over the years.

Third in line was another female, the only other ninja that had managed to match Tsunade's strength pound for pound and unbelievably, outmatch it. Madame Juria Kāpentā was one of the last spiders born into the world, their line and lineage growing thinner and thinner over the years. She was fast, strong and was unparalleled in the field of Taijutsu, being a hero to Might Guy himself.

Juria hadn't been seen for quite some time too, years in fact. She'd gone MIA during a mission with one of her former sensei, Madame Kasumi Webb. The woman's body had been retrieved while Juria was nowhere in sight, possibly driven off by the grief she felt due to the loss of her mentor. It wasn't known if she was still alive somewhere, though it was more likely that she'd died a long time ago.

It almost made Anko feel sorry for the Pākā kid in retrospect, every other spider had either died or gone missing. Must have been tough growing up with no-one to turn to, no-one to teach him the ways of his clan, his people. She wasn't worried though, he had a good head screwed onto those shoulders of his, he'd turn out fine.

Saving the worst for last, Orochimaru was an outright monster. He'd taken the trust of many young ninja and smashed it to smithereens by experimenting upon them, using them like his own personal human guinea pigs. Unfortunately, Anko knew this from experience, a very painful experience that still haunted her to this very day. What that man did to her, she wouldn't have wished on her worst enemy. A heart made of ice; maliciousness and selfishness were just some of the irredeemable qualities the S-Rank ninja possessed. Learning that he'd returned to the Leaf and had already murdered a young team of aspiring Chūnin no less, made Anko's blood boil.

She knew he had to be stopped, and she knew that she couldn't think of a single ninja that could've done the deed. Perhaps Kakashi but even that was reaching, Orochimaru wasn't regarded as a legend for nothing. Still, even knowing how outclassed she was, Anko did not feel comfortable sitting back and letting someone else handle the situation, potentially getting themselves killed in the process too.

The woman came to an abrupt stop on the wooden surface of a tree branch, her sandals landing with a dull thud as she span around to take stock of her surroundings. The baby blue sky held aloft overhead began to dim, changing and morphing in colour for every fraction of time that passed. It was getting late and she was no closer to finding the man than she had been an hour ago, she wasn't sure where she should've been looking if she was being completely honest with herself. Sprinting into the forest without a place to start searching hadn't been one of her smartest moves, something she was only now just realizing.

Anko ran a hand through her short purple hair, cursing to herself as the orange light of the setting sun pierced the thick canopy of the forest above. "If I were a psychopath, where would I be hiding?" The woman, twenty four years of age, murmured to herself as she shielded her eyes from the fading sunlight.

She narrowed those light brown orbs of hers as she precariously leaned over the edge of the branch she was stood on, finding a rather large trail of flattened bushes, flowers and disturbed soil below. It wasn't natural in occurrence; a powerful force had pushed through the area and left devastation in its wake. Anko was well aware of what had caused it; it was one of Orochimaru's signature Jutsu.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough," she once again muttered out loud, something she often did when she found herself alone.

The Tokubetsu-Jōnin averted her eyes to scan the surrounding area; she was trying to see if anything else had been left behind. Anything that might've told her where he'd gotten to after ripping up a small portion of the forest, which also begged a serious question in Anko's mind.

The high-ranking ninja of the Leaf stepped over the edge of the branch, letting herself fall to the brown Earth below. Her tanned trench coat billowed and flapped about in her wake, and she braced herself for the landing. Anko hit the ground sandals first, letting her smooth bare legs bend as she crouched and steadied herself for a moment.

After adjusting to the fall, Anko stood and surveyed the vicinity. "The question is, who or what was he attacking?" The expert tracker voiced her query to the open air, nothing but the sweet sound of birds tweeting and singing from afar filling her ears.

There'd been some kind of situation, that much was clear. And usually, situation's left their mark. As a tracker, it was in Anko's skillset to look for these particular marks. Blood spatter, torn clothes, discarded weapons but above all, footprints. Or sandal prints, specifically. She flashed a grin as she crouched, tracing the slightly faded imprint of a child's sandal in the soft dirt. The woman followed them with her light brown eyes, noting how they were joined by another pair of prints as they trailed off, further and further away from the scene.

It didn't take Anko long to pull at the thread, halting in a clearing as the prints disappeared. She'd have been disappointed with the dead end had she not laid eyes on a few shattered tree branches, droplets of blood clinging loosely to the sharp tips of grass blades, much like fresh dew on a particularly humid morning. The purple haired Kunoichi narrowed her eyes as she gazed up into the surrounding trees, spotting the scorched and charred bark of an unlucky redwood.

"Call it a gut feeling but… he couldn't have gotten far," Anko murmured, reaching up to rub the tell-tale mark of dark influence on her neck.

She wasn't sure if her curse mark was acting up because he was nearby or whether she was feeling ghost pains because of her paranoia, either way, Anko kept her eyes peeled and ears open as she scaled a tree using her Chakra. She bolted along the canopy of the forest, completely in her element as she moved, until finally, she was met with a strange and rather unsettling sight.

She'd found Orochimaru all right, half sunken into the trunk of a tree and looking a little worse for wear. "Well, isn't that the stuff of nightmares." Anko remarked flippantly, causing the man to slowly open his eyes and attempt a strained smile.

She could tell it was strained; half of the false feminine face he was wearing had fallen off. "Ah, Anko… pleasant as always." The dangerous criminal began to laugh, subtly, quietly and eerily.

Anko quirked a purple eyebrow, chills racing up and down her spine despite her disposition. "Something funny, creep?" She grilled, frowning as the situation was anything but hilarious.

"No, I'm simply touched. My old student seeking me out after so many years, you just can't control yourself, can you?" Orochimaru queried, attempting to spin the conversation around on the woman.

As though she was the crazy one, the damaged one, the certifiably insane one. It was the one thing Anko hated about him when she was a child, when she admired him and aspired to be just like him. How he twisted people's words, used them as verbal weapons against the owner, manipulated them and played mind games with them. She hated it then, and she hated it now.

Anko felt her fists involuntarily ball, a kneejerk reaction in the face of such an insult. "I sought you out because you senselessly murdered a group of kids right under my nose, do not get it twisted." She put the facts straight, though knew it wouldn't do much good.

Orochimaru's predatory eyes wandered for a moment, as if he was casually pondering something. "Murdered? Yes. Senselessly? No. I needed a way into the exams and an opportunity appeared, they proved useful even in death." He answered, openly and honestly.

It was a weakness, definitely. He knew it full well, had always known it. Despite how he'd left things with the young woman standing before him, upside down to his point of view funnily enough, he still felt the need to be honest. Perhaps it was because of their past relationship, their past history as sensei and student. Or perhaps it was simply because he wanted to see her reaction, wanted to get a rise out of her.

Anko met his expectations as her teeth smashed together, seething as she narrowed her eyes at the Shinin. "You're a monster," she hissed through the gaps in her pearly whites, her blood boiling with every nonchalant response he gave.

Orochimaru felt a smile tug at his lips; he took great pleasure in getting under most people's skin but Anko was another matter entirely. "For being practical and efficient? You wound me, girl." He feigned being hurt, his tone taking on one of disappointment.

Anko took a step forward and pointed at him, her hand practically shaking and twitching with rage. "You're here for something, that much is obvious. I don't know what and I don't know why but it stops, whatever you're planning stops right now." She forced out, stating her words as facts.

The dark haired demon before her, still weirdly hanging upside down and half inside a tree, narrowed his eyes. "Why, Anko… if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were threatening me." His voice carried an implied threat of its own, sharp, dangerous and very real.

Anko knew him well, extraordinarily well in fact. She knew he wasn't one to beat around the bush, he was the kind of person that acted on a violent impulse, consequences be damned. That was the difference between the two of them; Anko was a functioning psychopath while Orochimaru was a straight up psychopath. Sure, every now and then she thought about murdering a few idiots that severely agitated her but she didn't do it. She repressed those thoughts and got over them, little things called morals keeping her firmly in check.

"That's because I am, milquetoast." The woman insulted, not quite an accurate insult but she was angry, it was the first thing that came to mind.

Orochimaru shook his head; he'd expected her to resort to childish tactics. "Your immaturity astounds me, girl. You really haven't changed one bit, have you? Still that lonely little child, crying herself to sleep at night because she wasn't good enough for her sensei." He retaliated with something admittedly below the belt, but he wasn't the kind of person to wear kid gloves.

Anko scoffed, folding her arms over her rather large chest. "That's rich coming from Mister Egomaniac himself, you can't survive without somehow being the centre of attention. And you'll do anything to put yourself in that spot, that makes you dangerous." She analysed him right back, scowling with every word spoken.

Orochimaru didn't seem fazed in the slightest, if the smirk on his snake-like lips were anything to go by; he seemed to have been enjoying himself. "You're hiding behind a wall of humour and eccentricities because you're afraid of letting someone get close again; you're terrified they'll dump you like yesterday's trash… just like I did." He cut deep once again and for a moment, he thought he had her.

Until Anko grinned viciously, confusing the Shinobi slightly. "And you're scared of your own mortality, desperately trying to run away from the fact that someday, you're gonna bite it just like the rest of us. Face it, gramps. The race is over, you lost." She bluntly explained, resting her hands on her shapely hips and offering him a smug smile.

Orochimaru set his jaw, she knew him all too well. "Funny," he shortly admitted, even as a child, the girl had always possessed a sharp wit unlike anything he'd ever seen.

It was Anko's turn for honesty, unafraid to speak it as everything was pretty much out on the table already. "If I couldn't laugh, I'd cry." Quite a sad truth escaped her lips; it was no wonder why she distanced herself from so many of her fellow ninja with her extreme sense of humour.

"It might seem a little hard to believe but… I've actually enjoyed this, catching up with you, mean spirited as it was. Nevertheless, I'm occupied with far more important matters." Orochimaru revealed, ready to take his leave and once again, disappear on the woman.

Anko took yet another step forward, demanding his attention. "More important than your ex-student?" She questioned in jest, she wasn't that full of herself.

Orochimaru showcased more of that brutal honesty he was known for, offering a dry smirk. "Yes, now if you'll excuse me." He hit back, ready to fade into the trunk of the tree completely.

The purple haired Kunoichi, an elite ninja of her village, raised her arm and pointed it at the man. "Oh no, we're not done here. Striking Shadow Snake!" She called out, letting several emerald green serpents wind out of her trench coat sleeve and dart their way towards the easy target.

They hit their mark with precise aim, splintering wood as they embedded themselves deep into the bark of the tree, all around Orochimaru. "You're not going anywhere until we've had a nice long chat!" Anko once again yelled, before pulling with all her might.

The Shinin was yanked out of the tree like a splinter from a wound; he let the momentum carry him clear across the vast surface of the gigantic tree-branch. Anko wasted no time in whipping out her kunai knife, pulling it free from its holstered perch on her bare thigh. She swiped in a clean arc, searing Orochimaru clean in half across the waist as he passed her by.

She span on her heel, light brown eyes narrowed as she watched dark and dingy mud fall and splatter on the wooden surface of their confrontation. "Mud clone… still as cowardly as ever," she muttered bitterly, immediately on guard as her opponent was nowhere in sight.

Anko scanned each and every inch of her surroundings, though it was made all the more harder as the sky continued to darken and challenge her vision. "Is it so wrong to implement strategy? Utilize tactics? Or would you rather I fight like you? Just blindly hack and slash until everything stops moving," Orochimaru's voice reached her ears, though she couldn't place it for the life of her.

She gripped the short hilt of her kunai even tighter, making careful measured movements as she wanted to avoid getting caught by surprise. "Sweet talker," she quipped, a grim smile plastered across her lips.

Of course, the smile disappeared when Anko realized there was a presence standing directly behind her. The woman didn't wait, she instantly turned and let her hand fly out, swiping where she assumed his head would've been. The knife didn't reach flesh and bone, her wrist was easily caught and all momentum ceased. Anko ignored the tell-tale smile that decorated his face, hopping into the air and bringing her leg about in one swift movement.

Orochimaru, naturally, evaded the desperate attack with ease. "Your senses have dulled, girl." He berated, though the kick had distracted him long enough for her to wriggle loose and put some distance between the two of them.

Anko cursed as she handsprung backwards, landing shakily as extreme acrobatics were always a risk in the heat of a battle. "Bite me," she childishly responded, reaching into the inside pocket of her trench coat to offer the man a present.

Orochimaru already knew what she was going to do, even before the handful of senbon needles had left their owner, slicing their way through the air towards him. "With pleasure," he replied, without missing a beat as he side-stepped the hard to see projectiles.

Once again, Anko was simply stalling for time. Kunai knives and senbon needles were not going to slow him down, but they did provide a little room to breathe as she cycled through a number of hand signs. The man closed the distance in an instant, showing off his incredible speed. But a tad too late, not fast enough to stop Anko from finishing whatever Jutsu she had in store for him.

"Snake Arm Battering Ram!" She exclaimed, dumbfounding the S-Rank criminal as he'd never heard of such a thing and he taught the woman everything she knew.

A particularly long, thick skinned snake slithered its way out of her sleeve and down her arm, twisting itself around the limb, its tough and hardy head forming a protective shield over her fist. Anko had to react fast as her former mentor attempted to wrap her up into a bear hug, and she knew if he managed that, the fight would've been over in an instant.

She swiped one of his arms away and reeled back, putting everything she had into a particularly bone shattering blow. She managed to catch the Shinobi clean in the jaw, his pale skin grazed as he stumbled back, his golden snake-like eyes slightly widening. The man paused, taking a small moment to press his fingers against his jaw, gently tracing the sore, bruised skin.

"I actually felt that," he spoke quietly; it had been the second time that day he'd been surprised in a bout.

It was then that Anko realized just how much of a complex he must have had, to have been unchallenged in a fight for so long. "Heartless jerk like you, I'm sure you'll get over it." She didn't care though, simply rubbing salt into the wound with a little sass for good measure.

The expert tracker grinned before charging him, swinging and striking with her snake-clad battering ram and forcing Orochimaru onto the defensive. The dark haired monster moved and swayed with the fluidity of a serpent, bypassing his former pupil's attacks with ease and frustrating her all the more. Her ex-teacher paused when his back met the ridged surface of solid bark; she'd managed to back him up against one of the many expansive trees in the vicinity.

Anko lashed out with everything she had in one resonating blow, Orochimaru just barely snapped his head to one side as her snake covered fist drilled itself into the wood behind him. "Positively ferocious," he complimented, before swiftly palming her directly in the chest.

Anko was immediately lifted off of her feet, being carried backwards with a little show of superhuman strength. "Any more new techniques I should know about?" The killer queried, pressing forward as the woman rolled and landed.

With one palm pressed against the surface of the enormous tree-branch they were stood on and the other snake sporting one poised and ready to strike, Anko's trench coat draped around her as she crouched low to the floor beneath her. "I've got a few more up my sleeve, sure. Snake Splitting Lasso!" Anko called out, the snake wrapped around her arm dispelling as she cycled through more hand signs.

Orochimaru was about to react when yet another snake shot itself out of Anko's seemingly bottomless sleeve, finding himself intrigued when the snake literally split up in mid-flight, resembling several pieces of thick sturdy rope. His own curiosity ensured that they ensnared him, wrapping around his shoulders, chest and arms tightly, pinning the latter to his torso. Naturally, he tested their strength by gradually attempting to break free only to find surprising resistance.

Anko watched her old mentor, stood there struggling to break free of his bonds. "I wouldn't bother, those bindings are Chakra infused. The more you struggle, the tighter they'll get until eventually, they'll saw right through you. On second thought, please struggle." She drew his attention with a flashy grin, folding her arms as their eyes met for a moment.

Orochimaru had to admit, he was impressed. "My my… what have you been using these for?" He mocked, his snake-like tongue pushing past his teeth and lips to lick the air.

Anko narrowed those light brown pupil-less eyes at him, setting her jaw as her temper began to rise. "Shut up. I have questions, questions that demand answers and you're going to give them to me." She ordered, coaxing a dry laugh out of the man.

He arched an intrigued eyebrow; the Anko he used to know was never one to get so serious. "I don't remember you being this assertive," Orochimaru recalled, admittedly with a smidgen of fondness that he'd buried deep long ago.

"People change," she bluntly responded, a little tired of the constant back and forth between the two of them.

Orochimaru let a scoff die in his throat; her words weren't exactly something he agreed with himself. "Do they really?" He dared to challenge them, hoping to pull her into yet another long winded discussion that went nowhere.

Anko ignored him, she liked to talk but she was done with his mind games. "First question, are you here to assassinate Lord Hokage?" She spouted off, short and to the point.

Orochimaru was actually a little caught off-guard with how frank the query was, she certainly didn't beat around the bush. "Truthfully? No… at least, not right now." He answered honestly, though whether the purple haired ninja chose to believe him was another matter entirely.

He wasn't exactly the most trustworthy of individuals, and that was a serious understatement. "If you're not here for that, then what are you here for?" Anko followed up, curiosity and suspicion lacing her usually sharp and carefree tone.

The Shinin shrugged, as much as he could've managed anyway with his arms strapped to his torso. "Personal business," he replied, once again offering a fairly vague response.

Anko clicked her tongue, she wasn't entirely sure she was going to get anywhere with him. "What kind of business?" She went a little more specific with her next question; her patience was starting to wear a little thin.

Orochimaru let a mischievous smirk dance across his pale, somewhat angular face. "The personal kind," he mocked, employing a little role reversal as he played the fool while Anko assumed a straight face.

Anko didn't seem to find it so fun, reaching down to her thigh holster to pull her kunai free. "One more smartass answer like that and I cut your tongue out, snake." She warned, raising the blade and holding it level with her face.

Orochimaru eyed the portable weapon with disinterest, he wasn't particularly worried. "I hope you can back that threat up, girl." He offered a warning himself, though worded it in a less blatant way.

Again, Anko ignored him. "You murdered three Genin from Kusagakure, the Village Hidden in the Grass, have you harmed any other students since then?" She threw a fourth question his way, slight concern evident in her usually slick voice.

Anybody else might've missed it, but not Orochimaru. "Define harmed," he hit back, picking up on the woman's uncharacteristic worry.

The Tokubetsu-Jōnin felt a wave of anger pass through her body, she had to close her eyes and compose herself before carrying on with her interrogation. "Answer the question," she ordered, her tone low and sharper than a razor's edge.

Orochimaru attempted to gesture, a little wave of his hand to showcase his flippancy. "I may have roughed up one or two, yes. I was even pleasantly surprised by one of them, Sasuke I think his name was." Though it looked a little weird, his arms were still held securely in place.

Anko's sour disposition immediately morphed into one of anxiousness, the fear in her eyes replacing the aggression. "What did you do to him?!" She demanded to know, snarling at the man like a wild animal.

Orochimaru had been sat in the hot seat long enough; he'd entertained the woman's constant grilling as a courtesy more than anything else. "The exact same thing I did to you, Anko." He made his move, employing the use of his uncanny ability to morph and elongate his body at will.

Stretching and contorting, Orochimaru resembled the long winding form of a snake as he slipped free of his bonds. Anko had already side-flipped out of the way as the cold-blooded killer dived right for her, smashing into the wooden surface of the tree-branch. His body shortened and he turned on the spot, flashing his sharp fangs at the woman.

"You won't get away with this!" Anko hissed; sweat beginning to dampen her fringe as it rolled down her face.

Orochimaru cackled, the simple sound of laughter incredibly out of place when used by his chilling and sinister tone. "And who's going to stop me? You? The only reason you're still alive is because I have allowed it, Anko. Face it; you're outclassed in every conceivable way." He spoke honestly, there were few ninja who posed a threat to him and his former student certainly did not make that very short list.

Anko wasn't about to correct him, he was so far out of her league it wasn't even funny. "Not every way…" But that was what an ace in the hole was for, to even the odds or so to speak.

The first thing Anko did was take her kunai knife and slowly drag the blade across the palm of her hand, letting her own blood leak out of the wound openly. "Summoning Jutsu!" She called out, cycling through several familiar hand signs before she slammed her palm into the rough surface of the tree-branch beneath her sandals.

A giant cloud of smoke engulfed the area and the very Earth rumbled for a solid minute, Orochimaru was silently cursing to himself as he knew full well what Anko had done. His eyes didn't widen in surprise for there was none, a frown traced his lips however as he gazed upwards at Anko, stood atop the head of a towering cobra snake.

The snake, which was stark black in colour and decorated with two thin grey stripes running along its winding body, hissed at the tiny morsel below it. "You remember Tsuki, right? The contract you let me sign all those years ago?" Anko felt the need to remind the man, but he didn't need it.

"Worst mistake I ever made," Orochimaru admitted, he really had no idea what he'd been thinking when he'd allowed her the use of a summoning contract.

Anko crouched down on the creature's gargantuan head, petting the diamond patterned hide affectionately. "Say hi to the bad man, Tsuki." She requested, employing the use of an overly childish tone of voice, as though she were speaking to a pet.

Tsuki lowered her head, allowing Anko to stand somewhat face to face with her old sensei. "Hi to the bad man, Tsuki." The snake, female in gender and quite a lot like her human friend in personality, repeated playfully.

Anko let a short laugh escape her lips, flashing her pearly whites the man's way as the odds were now clearly in her favour. "Ha, classic." She fondly murmured, placing her hands on her curvy waist as she waited for the criminal's next move.

Orochimaru couldn't resist the urge to give his golden eyes a good roll, one of them had been more than enough to have to tolerate. "You're insufferable," he insulted, though Anko took it in stride as she waved him off.

"Charmer," she cheekily replied, before snapping her fingers.

The result was instantaneous as Tsuki raised her thick, armoured head high and brought it down hard. Orochimaru just barely managed to leap clear, soaring as far as he could as Tsuki completely demolished the tree he and his student had been battling on. The Forest of Death rumbled with the collapse of one of its many oxygen giving inhabitants, the sound was so great, so deafening that it could've easily been mistaken for an earthquake.

Anko stood to her full height as she recovered from the impact, Tsuki doing much of the same as she'd just used her entire body to hammer a redwood taller than her into smithereens. "Yee haw! We got ourselves a runner, girl!" The woman pointed off in the distance, spying the shrinking form of Orochimaru.

Tsuki didn't need the go ahead to give chase, darting forward and pulverizing everything in her path. "You get weirder and weirder every time you summon me," she addressed her ally, a woman she'd known ever since they were both children.

Anko shrugged; weird was a compliment to her. "Which, admittedly, is few and far between." She highlighted, feeling invincible with her larger than life weapon in her command.

Tsuki blew a bout of warm air through her slit-shaped nostrils, her predatory eyes honing in on Orochimaru. "Must be a special occasion," she remarked, finally reaching the Shinin.

The larger than life reptile cut the man's path off, bulldozing gatherings of boulders, groves of trees and thickets of bushes, forcing him to halt and attempt to press on in the opposite direction. With his back to her, Tsuki brought her massive rattling tail about and swiftly swatted Orochimaru as though he was a mere insect. Despite his immense power, he was just as susceptible to gravity as anyone else.

The pale skinned Shinobi was sent careening into a nearby tree, hitting the trunk with the right side of his torso and spinning out. He hit the grass ground, hands balling into fists as they clenched fine soil in anger and frustration. Slowly, he climbed to his feet and was met with the overbearing sight of Tsuki menacingly stalking her way toward him.

For the second time that day, Orochimaru brought his thumb to his mouth and nipped the digit with his razor sharp fangs. "Fine, have it your way." He muttered, running his freshly bleeding thumb down the summoning tattoo on his left forearm.

"Summoning Jutsu!" The missing-nin bellowed, cycling through a short series of hand signs and stopping Anko's companion dead in its tracks.

More smoke engulfed the area, thick and rolling as it spread in every direction. It didn't take long for it to clear, and Anko's light brown eyes gazed upon a sight she'd been expecting. Orochimaru was perched atop his own summoned snake, the very same one that unbeknownst to her, he'd already used that day. While it did stand at a monstrous height, it still didn't quite reach Tsuki's towering form.

To its credit though, the ebony coloured serpent didn't seem at all fazed by the larger species. "Cute," Tsuki hissed, her forked tongue tasting the air as her slit-shaped pupils locked on the smaller specimen of her own kind.

Whilst Tsuki dwarfed the opposing snake, Anko figured that it might have been faster than her ally. "Don't let its size fool you; the biggest predator doesn't always come out on top. I once saw a wolverine take down a bear… that was a strange weekend," the questionably garbed woman advised, earning what she guessed to have been a nod out of the snake.

Tsuki's eyes shifted their focus from the shorter snake to its pale master, the man that had caused her friend so much pain. "I can do whatever I want to him though, right?" She asked, her feminine voice betraying her immense stature.

Anko clicked her tongue, as if trying to decide then and there. "Go nuts," she finally settled, confidence lacing her voice for the first time during the battle.

Her stark black weapon shuddered with excitement; she'd been rearing to rip the Shinin piece by piece for years now. "Yay," she simply said, before darting forward with surprising speed.

Orochimaru urged his pet to meet her head on, and the two snakes collided in a show of brute force. Predictively, the smaller of the two came worse off, being thrown backwards and smashing everything in its path. Its long, winding body slammed to the ground with a dull, resounding thud. Its master just barely managed to keep himself steady atop its head, frowning as Tsuki prepared to follow up with another assault.

"Get up, you pathetic creature. Get up and fight!" Orochimaru ordered, watching as the snake did just that.

The reptile gingerly raised its head, feeling sore all over as it attempted to shake the impact off. "Put it down, Tsuki. Quick and clean, there's no need for it to suffer." Anko ordered, her affection for any and all snakes shining through a bit as she looked upon the injured one before her.

Tsuki didn't mind though, her opponent knew what it had been getting into. "Time to go night night, little guy." She mocked, before using her armoured head to strike forward with lightning speed.

However, the shorter snake proved faster, much more nimble than its larger counterpart. The creature darted to one side, catching Tsuki off-guard and completely surprising her as it sunk its fangs directly into her mile-long body. She hissed out in agony as spear-like teeth pierced her thick hide, allowing crimson coloured blood to leak out and stain the forest floor.

Anko felt her heart leap into her throat as her friend cried out in pain, the snake's twitching body almost shaking her loose of her perch. "Tsuki!" She called out, her voice full of fear and concern.

Tsuki answered her partner's call with immediate action, winding her rattling tail about to wrap it around her attacker's long neck. She pulled with all her might, tearing the snake off of her at the expense of a few chunks of her own diamond patterned flesh. She discarded the snake for a moment, forcing it away from her as she attempted to recover from her grisly injury.

Orochimaru felt a smirk stretch onto his lips, watching as Anko's summons bled openly. "Arrogance is a dangerous thing, girl. You said so yourself, size does not determine the outcome of every battle." He reminded her, drawing the woman's ire as he folded his arms.

"I didn't ask for your advice, you lost that privilege when you abandoned me!" Anko sneered back, fists balled and a desperate urge to wipe that smug look off his face growing inside her.

Orochimaru casually shrugged, shutting his eyes briefly in a nonchalant manner. "Some wounds never truly heal, I see." He observed, only serving to dig deeper under the woman's skin.

Tsuki hissed as she set her sights on the man and his predatory weapon once more, doing her best to ignore her wounds and push on. "Permission to crush him and his pet?" She queried, though Anko reasoned that it was more of a formality than anything else.

She seriously doubted a simple 'no' would've stopped the gargantuan snake, so she chose to grant her wish. "Permission granted," Anko shortly replied, bracing herself as Tsuki wasted no time.

The snake had already bolted, utilizing speed that betrayed her vast height. Tsuki bared her enormous fangs for all to see, ivory coloured and smoother than silk despite their fatal tips. She hit her mark, burying her fangs into the inferior snake's tail, ensuring she had a good firm grip on it. Before it or Orochimaru could retaliate, Tsuki lifted the creature as high as she could, even managing to break through the canopy above them.

She brought the snake back down in an arc, smashing it into the ground, hard. Its body destroyed everything in its way, shattering smaller trees completely and ripping the bigger ones in two. A narrow area of flattened forest was left behind as the snake lay prone and unmoving; Orochimaru had been thrown clear into the dense foliage surrounding them.

Once again, his momentum was halted completely as his back connected with the unyielding trunk of a towering and expansive oak tree. Tsuki rose to her full height, coming out of the battle triumphantly. The downed snake disappeared in a plume of smoke, vanishing into thin air as it left behind the scars of its actions on an unfortunate area of the Forest of Death. Anko patted her girl on the head, receiving an appreciative hiss in response.

Tsuki lowered her head to a nearby tree-branch, allowing Anko to hop off and stand on firm ground once again. "He's down; I think I can take him from here." She reasoned, gazing upon her summons properly for the first time that day.

Tsuki let her eyes leave the Leaf ninja for a moment, spying a hunched over Orochimaru trying to get his bearings. "Only if you're sure," she expressed her concerns, though Anko simply waved them off.

With her hands on her shapely hips, Anko shrugged. "Can never be too sure in this profession, but I think we've caused enough destruction for one day. Thanks for the assist, Tsuki." She winked at the towering reptile, who offered a nod of the head in return.

"I'm always up for a good scrap," her snake truthfully stated, watching as Anko dispelled the Summoning Jutsu.

The forest fell completely silent in the wake of the giant snake's departure, as if two gods had brought their wrath down upon the Earth before receding. Anko heard crickets chirping in the distance, playing their legs like a violin, completely unaware as to what had just transpired. She turned, her trench coat billowing behind her as sweat dampened her underarms and back.

She was exhausted but despite that, it didn't take her long to reach her former teacher. "Had enough?" Anko greeted the man with a question, a question she spat at him.

Orochimaru was crouching, one hand pressed against the jagged bark of the tree for support and the other holding his side in slight discomfort. "You take this all very seriously, don't you? Serving your village, pretending they actually need you, that you actually matter. It's all rather funny really," he let a faint grin show, noticing Anko glare at him with cold, steely eyes.

And to think, she used to gaze at him with such affection. "People do need me; you're the one who's disposable here. I may have a few screws loose but people can tolerate that, the world does not need someone as evil and sick as you in it." She resolutely stated, chancing a few confident steps toward him.

Orochimaru turned his head to look up at her, to see how her fringe was matted to her forehead, how oxygen entered her lungs as her breathing rapidly sped up. "Haven't you heard? Without evil, there can be no good." He hit back, the woman was running on fumes and he was just getting started.

He raised his index and middle finger in front of his face and hissed, the effects were instantaneous as Anko's long dormant Heaven's Curse Mark activated. "AGH!" The woman cried out as a surge of pain coursed through her body, forcing her to her knees as she clutched and grasped at her neck.

Orochimaru stood without incident; he was quite good at playing possum when the need arose. "Oh, there it is. Your curse mark, you're probably wondering why I didn't trigger it sooner. To be honest, I wanted to see how my old student had grown, how you'd gotten on without me or so to speak." He casually walked his way over to her, a thin line etched into his lips and replacing the grin from earlier.

He watched her squirm as he stood over her; she was dripping with sweat as she cowered on the wooden surface of the tree-branch, her fingernails digging into her skin, as if she was attempting to rip the curse mark off manually. Orochimaru inhaled, breathing deeply before letting it go, as though he was bored. As though he could've been doing so many other things with his time, better things, more important things that warranted his attention more than his ex-pupil ever could.

"All that bravado and you can't even handle a little pain… really, Anko, I'm disappointed." Finally, he spoke or berated rather.

Anko struggled to raise her head, her pupil-less eyes wide and panicked as she gazed upon the monster looming over her. "Go to… hell," she struggled to push the words past her lips, her entire body twitching and writhing in agony.

Orochimaru nodded, he'd been expecting an aggressive response. "I don't plan on doing that any time soon, no. What I do plan on though, is you. I have plans, very big plans. Plans that count on the exams continuing without a hitch and in order for that to happen, I need you. Can you make sure of that, Anko? Can you be of use to me? Or will you fail me, just like you did last time?" He pressed, lowering himself in front of her and even going so far as to place his thumb beneath her chin.

He tilted her head up to meet his gaze, a sly smile stretched across his lips. Of course, that smile twitched as Anko answered his request by spitting in his face. A spike of anger coursed through the Shinin as he reached up to wipe the woman's saliva from his cheek, right beneath one of his eyes actually. He set his jaw; he knew he was above things such as that but Anko… she really knew how to get to him unlike anyone else.

Orochimaru responded with a swift backhand, causing Anko's cheek to turn bright red, her skin hot and stinging. Tears welled up in her eyes, she wasn't crying, it was simply a kneejerk reaction. The man left her to her pain and rose to his full height, tall and slender as he cast a frightening shadow over the grovelling woman.

His golden eyes didn't harbour any fondness for the woman, not anymore. "Temper, temper. That wasn't a very wise thing to do now, was it? Especially when you're out here with me, with no-one to aid you. Weak, vulnerable and alone." Instead they harboured disgust, an emotion weaved within his voice too as he enunciated each and every word that left his mouth.

Anko bowed her head in shame, completely paralyzed as fresh tears rolled down her slowly bruising cheek and stained the dull brown bark beneath her.

* * *

Twilight neared as the sky darkened, that brief lull between the bright blue of day and stark black of night, when things seemed to glow with an almost enchanting light. It was a beautiful fraction of time, when the sun went to bed for the night and the moon hadn't quite woken up yet. The phenomenon made the ominous atmosphere of the Forest of Death poignant in a way, because even though the tangled mass of trees, streams and wildlife posed a severe threat to anybody who entered, it really was quite a sight.

Unfortunately for some, they didn't have the time or the patience to stand around, marvelling at the larger than life scenery. That was the case with one Pītā Pākā, a twelve year old Leaf Genin that had just escaped with his life at the hands of three Suna ninja, albeit barely. Though, the one that had caused the most problems for the young spider had been Mikio, the supposed last living scorpion. He was stronger than Pītā, which unnerved him greatly.

It wasn't as if he was arrogant enough that he thought nobody was stronger than him, that kind of attitude was liable to get him killed. It was simply a shock to the system, after twelve years of being the strongest ninja around; it wasn't easy to take a loss in that department. Though, during their short yet brutal battle, Pītā had determined that he was still faster than Mikio.

That was his edge, along with his spider-sense and webbing. The key to defeating Mikio the second time around, if it ever came to pass, was long-ranged and distanced attacks. If he took things up close, it'd likely end the same way it had hours earlier. With Pītā lying in the dirt, on the business end of Mikio's bloodied fists.

It got his mind racing; working away in an effort to ignore the pain, keep himself occupied as his body knit itself back together. Kuentin, the self-proclaimed leader of the Sand trio, was so full of himself it was unbelievable. He had a severe God complex, that one. For some reason unknown to Pītā, he harboured some kind of grudge against those born with their gifts. Ninja with kekkei genkai, a bloodline that carried great power, through no fault of the ninja themselves.

He was arrogant, self-assured and as such, underestimated that someone like Pītā, someone born with their abilities, could be just as smart as he was. That was the key to putting him down, poking holes in his argument, his flawed logic, and his confidence. And then, land the coup de grâce. Of course, another way of besting him was simply beating him at his own game.

Kuentin was especially adept in Genjutsu, the field of illusions. If someone was good enough to match him, they'd soundly thrash him. Off the top of his head, the only ninja in their age range that could've gotten the job done was Yakumo Kurama. Pītā didn't care how talented Kuentin was; he'd never met another ninja as skilled in Genjutsu as Kurama. Well, save for Kurenai-Sensei.

And then there was the least impressive of the group, Saidai. The bald kid that wielded Lightning Style Jutsu like it was a damn toy, appropriate since he amounted to nothing more than a child waving their rattle around. Pītā felt the smug sense of self-confidence radiating off of him as soon as they'd clashed, he'd underestimated Pītā the most. A grave mistake, considering he received a pair of sandal soles to the face for his troubles.

It did present something of a problem though, the next time they faced off—if there was a next time—Saidai wouldn't make that same mistake again. Unless he was the biggest idiot on the planet, the dumbest person to have ever walked the Earth… Pītā wasn't ruling that possibility out, to be fair. But that Lightning Jutsu of his, if applied effectively, could've cooked Pītā alive.

The spider was severely underprepared for something like that; he needed an ace in the hole. Pītā stopped his laboured limping through the forest, spotting a lone, softly running stream several feet ahead of him. With his eyes clearing up somewhat since Mikio burst the blood vessels inside them, his eyesight was returning to normal. It didn't hurt like hell every single time he blinked, so there was that too.

Pītā eventually made it to the stream's edge, quietly and slowly. He had to move slowly, he almost tripped up over everything whenever he tried to pick up the pace, courtesy of his dislocated leg. The pause at the stream gave him chance to hit two birds with one stone, just the sight of fresh water flowing through its moss green surroundings made Pītā salivate.

He gently lowered himself towards the grass riddled ground, finding it comfortable enough for him to rest his knees on. After looking in every direction possible, his focused eyes scanning the trees and bushes for any sign of movement, potential threat or even just some nosey unsuspecting Genin, Pītā diligently reached up to his face and carefully pulled his dark blue mask down.

A cold air stroked Pītā's jaw, his usually guarded skin relishing in the fresh feeling. The first thing Pītā tended to as he took his red fingerless glove off was the dried, crusted blood smeared around his nose and mouth. He took great care rubbing it away, being mindful of his still broken nose. He wasn't looking forward to snapping that back into place, but it had to be done.

It was quick; he certainly didn't dawdle as he effortlessly pushed the bone back into its desired position, a position that didn't make him look like a boxer. It definitely stung but surprisingly, didn't cause him too much discomfort. A few silent minutes of cupping water in his hand and drinking it followed, the moment of reprieve was enough to enable Pītā to calm down and steady his breathing.

He carefully pulled his mask back over his jawline, resting it upon the bridge of his newly set nose. His mind shifting back to Saidai, Pītā fished around in his ruined flak jacket's compartments, not quite remembering where he'd stored the smoke grenades he'd picked up off of Kuentin. Finding them soon enough, three of them to be exact, the brunette slowly unwrapped the paper bindings around the canisters that lay inside.

Pītā unscrewed the lid off of the first canister, raising it high into the air and letting unfiltered smoke pour out of it. It flitted through the air, clean smoke, not toxic in the slightest so it wasn't going to harm any of the local wild and plant life. The boy did this two more times and when he was satisfied that the canisters were completely empty, devoid of their original gaseous inhabitant, Pītā held them in the stream and filled them to the brim with crystal clear forest water.

After safely securing his new water grenades, the boy pocketed them before struggling to his feet. "It's no wonder-magnet, but water and electricity don't mix. Best I can do with literally nothing on me," Pītā muttered to himself, something he tended to do when he was all by his lonesome.

He was about to advance, raising his arm high into the air to fire off a strand of steel silk. He would have, had a sharp pain not shot through his dislocated leg. Pītā winced as he held it; he didn't need to search thoroughly to see what exactly was wrong with his leg. The patella—the under surface of the kneecap—had been shifted out of its usual place in the patellofemoral—or the trochlea—groove.

All Pītā had to do was shift it back into place, not dissimilar to what he'd had to do with his broken nose. "This is gonna suck," the red and blue Shinobi whispered to himself, his hands firmly around his damaged leg.

The kid didn't count himself down, he didn't want to have to anticipate—or dread might've been a better choice of word—the pain. Instead, Pītā simply clenched his jaw and forced the patella back into its desired position. He didn't scream or yell or holler, he just breathed in deep through his recently set nose and breathed out through his fabric covered mouth, shaky and somewhat relieved.

He tested his fixed leg, putting a bit of weight on it. It stung, like immediately, as soon as his sandal had made contact with the soft blades of grass beneath. But he did what he always did; he powered through it and forced his leg to co-operate. It was nowhere near in perfect shape, but neither was he. He just needed to move and a busted up leg was only going to slow him down, plain and simple.

Raising his arm high once again, the heir to the famed Shukeikō-Clan fired off a web-line, a thin strand of spider-silk that was strong enough to support his weight. Pītā ascended, breezing through the forest air as it grew colder and colder, losing its humidity of the day. He swung, twisting in mid-air and launching himself hundreds of yards, navigating the chaotic mess of towering trees and tangled vines.

Another stream of translucent steal bolted from his wrist, anchoring him to the solid trunk of a redwood tree. He arced around it, gaining more and more altitude before letting go of the lifeline, letting his momentum carry him. The agile acrobat hit the sturdy branch of a tree hands first, handspringing himself forward and into yet another web-swing. It was quiet as he travelled, traversing the environment with extreme ease and precision, even despite his injuries.

Almost too quiet, though Pītā put that down to nightfall approaching, most teams probably would've called it a day at this point. Even with the immediate danger, everyone had to sleep at some point. The Forest of Death, the second phase of the Chūnin Exams, was designed to test survival instincts. And while that meant fielding attacks and ambushes from enemy ninja and wild animals, it also meant actually surviving in nature.

Sort of like a camping trip, if said camping trip involved an extreme kill or be killed game of capture the flag. Pītā passed by another tree, they were all around him after all, kicking off of it to gain a bit of a push forward. He let go of the web-line, lashing out his other hand to spin more thread. Of course, he hadn't counted on his spider-sense bombarding him with deafening warnings of danger.

Pītā's hands immediately went to cradle his throbbing head, and he quickly plummeted. Falling like dead weight, the kid had to fight through the assault on his senses in order to hit the bark of a tree, sandals first. He slipped down for a short moment before sticking completely, his powers of adhesion saving him from a rather nasty drop.

Standing there, on the side of a tree, parallel to the distant ground, Pītā wrestled with his overly sensitive senses. Something had hit him yet again, with that very same intensity as before, prior to being split up from Naruto and Sakura. A sharp stabbing pain, right at the back of his skull, begging him to turn around and run.

Run and to not look back, because whatever was throwing his spider-sense for a severe loop was just up ahead of him, maybe around a hundred or so yards. He'd almost missed it too, through the wall of white noise bearing down on him; Pītā had almost missed the danger to not just himself, but to someone else too.

The threat, whatever it was, wasn't alone. Pītā's scrambled, disjointed thoughts were confirmed when a massive crashing sound exploded from up ahead, sending a short burst of air through the forest and ruffling the leaves of trees and bushes alike. The brunette gritted his teeth; the threat was still present and seemed to have been locked in combat with someone.

Someone or something, Pītā wasn't too sure. With his spider-sense hitting him in waves, making his very muscles tremble, Pītā couldn't make out much of anything. He had to tune it all out, take control of the blasted thing and force it into submission. If not, it was going to split his skull in two like a damn watermelon.

"Stop," a mumble escaped his mouth, desperate and in the form of plea.

It might've sounded pathetic to anyone else, but nobody knew the pain he was going through. A migraine to rule all migraines, was he seeing spots? It just hurt to open his eyes, staring at the jagged and rough bark in front of him. It was driving him insane, gawking at the same thing for what felt like an eternity, unable to move or even flinch a little.

He was breathing hard, heavy. "Okay, okay… I get that you're just looking out for me. That you just want to protect me like you did my ancestors, but let's make one thing clear." Pītā muttered to himself, his voice breaking and fighting to stay steady, lest he lost control of that too.

He was speaking to his spider-sense, the phenomenon that preserved his life and kept him from danger, day in and day out. It might've been crazy; it might've been insane to appeal to something that wasn't even physical let alone inanimate. He was just trying to put himself through the motions, train his mind to take control through words and resolve.

Because there was one thing about Pītā Pākā that everyone could agree on, the lad was very good with his words. "You are not in charge here, okay? I am, I'm in charge. I'm the boss, you're on my payroll. I decide when it's okay to run, when it's okay to fight. And right now, I am not running. You're so focused on the threat that you've completely bypassed the fact that someone is in danger up ahead, someone needs my help." Pītā persisted, balling his fists and forcing his knees to stop in their incessant trembling.

Pulling rank over something that had been with him his entire life wasn't an easy task by any means; his spider-sense was practically an extension of himself. "I know, I know, buddy. I get that you're trying to guide me towards my friends, I haven't forgotten about them. I get that you're trying to drive me away from whatever the hell is triggering you so fiercely, I get it. But I cannot—will not—ignore someone in need… I won't, I won't do it." Pītā affirmed, rising to his full height as he felt the insufferable ache dull.

Things were starting to make sense again, his eyes began to lose their soreness and his ears had stopped in their ringing. "You've gotta work with me, pal. Whatever the hell you are, some kind of early warning system, some primitive form of precognition, this little relationship of ours won't work if we can't compromise. There's too much input, but someone in danger will always outweigh my own safety. Understand?" Pītā queried, as if he was actually expecting some kind of response from the sixth sense.

He took its silence as an answer, a satisfied but tired smile painted across his lips as he'd literally forced it into submission. "Yeah, you learn something new everyday." Pītā mumbled into the mask covering his jaw, cracking his neck as he prepared to move.

* * *

Orochimaru regarded the woman in front of him, how small and pathetic she was. "Temper, temper. That wasn't a very wise thing to do now, was it? Especially when you're out here with me, with no-one to aid you. Weak, vulnerable and alone." The maniac teased, a sly smile tugging at the corner of his wide lips.

"She's not alone," a brand new voice entered the fray, distracting Orochimaru from his torture of the downed and seemingly paralyzed Anko.

It was a good thing he'd noticed it too, because the owner of the voice was already upon him in the split second it took to register. The Shinin, one of four legendary ninja, put everything he had into one powerful leap backwards, completely bypassing the devastation that immediately followed, albeit barely.

Something hit the giant, winding tree-branch he and Anko had been having it out on, right where he'd been standing. Wood and bark fractured and splintered every which way, completely splitting the towering tree's branch clean in half. Whatever it was, it'd managed to reduce solid wood to nothing more than matchsticks and sawdust. Orochimaru shielded his snake-like eyes, lest a wayward splinter found its way in.

When the commotion settled, he brought his arm down to finally look upon whatever had interrupted his one-sided discussion with his old student. Crouched, low and menacing in front of Anko, was a curious boy garbed in red and blue. It was odd to say the least; he was standing between him and the woman as though he was protecting her. As though she were off-limits to him, with narrowed brown eyes that conveyed the words 'back off'.

Orochimaru found his previously smug smile growing into one of interest, presented with something he hadn't quite planned for. It was always nice, to be surprised for once. And judging by the look on Anko's face, she seemed to have been in the same boat. There was still pain present, of course there was considering what he'd done to her, but shock was also carved into her bruised complexion.

"Pītā? Pītā Pākā? Kid, what the hell are you doing here?" Anko questioned, her chest heaving a little as he struggled to overcome her paralysis.

Pītā, the kid with the freaky spider-powers, was unusually low to the suspended branch they were on… whatever was left of it anyway. With his hands and legs splayed, he resembled something more akin to a wild animal about to pounce on its prey than he did a twelve year old greenhorn. Anko wanted to yell at him, in all honesty she wanted to tear him a new one for even thinking about butting into things.

She just didn't have the strength, not after what she'd been through. "What am I doing here? What're you doing here? Exams are for Genin only, pretty sure you don't qualify." Then again, taking a closer look at the kid in front of her, he seemed to have been put through the ringer too.

His clothes were in tatters, stained and spattered with… was that blood? His red flak jacket had been practically destroyed, hanging onto his body for dear life. Considering the fact that he was a spider, she had to wonder just what the hell had done that to him.

Orochimaru observed the child silently, how he'd not once taken his eyes off of him since arriving and how those very same eyes were inviting him, almost as if they were challenging him. He hadn't seen that for a long time, a very long time. Everyone knew who he was; his name was practically synonymous with fear and horror. It was refreshing coming across someone who, apparently, wasn't afraid of him.

It was curious actually, considering the ninja he'd gone up against. "Pākā? Well, that would explain the immense strength. Where've you been hiding this one, Anko?" The man stood in the shadows of the overbearing trees across the large gap, even in the early darkness of twilight, and finally spoke.

His voice sent shivers down Pītā's spine, it couldn't have been denied. "You… don't you touch him," Anko hit back, tears stinging her eyes as she grit her teeth and rose to a stand.

Orochimaru was almost impressed that she'd managed to fight her way through her paralysis, almost. "You're not the boss of me," he playfully replied, the corners of his mouth turning upwards as he eyed the lad across the gap.

Again, all it did was give the boy a severe case of the creeps. "Am I sensing some history here? Wait, I'm not the third wheel, am I? Because that'd be awkward and I don't wanna make things awkward," he prattled on, even in the presence of the shadow that had managed to best Anko, a Tokubetsu-Jōnin.

A bit of a grin flashed across the woman's dirtied complexion, even despite the agony she was in. "Too late, it's awkward. Now keep your mouth shut and stay close to me, that is an order." Anko forced out through gritted teeth, reaching for her neck as it throbbed and ached something fierce.

Pītā complied, backing up and rising out of his crouch. "Who's the stiff? An old boyfriend?" He found the time to mock, even as the taller woman faltered and almost fell.

She suddenly found herself weightless, glancing up to find that Pītā was supporting her effortlessly. "God, no. He's my old sensei, name's Orochimaru." She revealed, earning a snort out of her younger, vastly inexperienced companion.

"Orochimaru? For real?" Pītā found himself smirking beneath his mask as Anko leaned on his shoulder, it had to have been the dumbest name he'd ever had the pleasure of hearing.

Orochimaru didn't seem to mind either; in fact, he hadn't lost that smirk of his own. "Yes, for real. Now, be a good lad and come over here, won't you? I'd like a proper look at you," he expressed, watching as Pītā arched an eyebrow.

The pre-teen ninja cocked a thumb towards the shady individual, glancing at Anko instead of addressing him. "Next thing you know, he's gonna start promising me candy and puppies." He jested, voice full of untainted mirth.

Orochimaru witnessed Anko laugh, actually laugh despite the mark on her neck flaring up. "I've been saying that for years, kiddo." She joined in, the humour actually serving to distract her from the pain.

The missing-nin didn't like it, not one bit. "I won't ask again," Orochimaru had lost his smile, his patience beginning to wear just a little bit thin.

Pītā raised his palm; the lad picked up on the man's change in disposition. "Hold your horses, pal. Why don't we do this together? I'll take a step closer, but only if you do too. Sound fair?" He propositioned, watching as the Sound ninja contemplated the offer.

Orochimaru hummed, before finding the effort to smile once more. "A forceful child… very well, let's do things your way for now." He leniently agreed, he was used to just taking things he wanted by force.

But the boy in front of him was quite the change of pace, something he wasn't yet accustomed to. "Can you stand?" Pītā asked as he turned his attention towards Anko, the purple haired woman using him as her aid.

She scoffed, pushing away from him to find her own two feet. "Don't worry about me… really, don't, I hate it." Anko admitted, her knees shaking as they struggled to support her weight.

Pītā stood by for a few short seconds just in case, but nodded when she just about managed to stay upright. Reluctantly, he left the woman's side and made the short journey to the very edge of the destroyed tree-branch. The boy narrowed his chocolate brown orbs as Orochimaru mimicked him, stalking out from underneath the shadows and stepping into moderately better lighting.

Pītā's bloodline gifted him with many amazing and spectacular abilities; night vision wasn't one of them unfortunately. "Well, look at you! You're just creepy dialled up to eleven, aren't you?" Still, he found the time to mock his opponent in a jovially chipper voice.

Anko paled as the kid stood there, doing something that practically guaranteed a one way trip to an early grave. "Pākā," she voiced her concern with a one-word warning, she'd have stepped forward and gripped the kid's shoulder but she could barely stand herself.

Anko's terse tone fell on deaf ears as Pītā trucked on, employing the use of his super-secret weapon. "What sort of sunscreen do you use? SPF 9000?" He quipped, giving a short laugh as Orochimaru simply stared at him incredulously.

"Pākā! Knock it off with the jokes!" Anko yelled, her teeth practically grinding together as the mark on her neck continued to plague her.

Pītā didn't bother taking his eyes off of the man ahead of him; he didn't want to risk it. "You're actually scared of this schmuck?" The young Shinobi blatantly insulted, only serving to further the woman's disbelief on the matter.

Orochimaru on the other hand, tilted his head in an inquisitive manner. "Excuse me?" His low rasp of a voice pushed past his wide, serpent-like mouth.

Pītā let himself chuckle, just a short laugh on his part to set himself at ease. "Schmuck… you know, patsy? Loser? Jerkoff? You must be familiar with that last one," he once again ribbed, using his prickling sense of humour to mask his anticipation.

Because Pītā knew how things were going to happen, he knew the very second he decided to get involved. In the same way he'd known when the trio of Sand ninja had ambushed him, the kid knew that things would end in a good ole' fashioned, drag-out brawl. At this point, he was simply stalling and buying some time to learn a little bit more about the guy he was about to fight.

It helped knowing the enemy, even just knowing their name helped out in the long run. "You're mocking me," Orochimaru was no idiot, recognizing the boy's bluntness as he closed his golden eyes for a solid second.

Pītā nodded, owning up to his brash behaviour without missing a beat. "Gee, what gave me away?" He posed rhetorically, strolling off to the side of the expansive tree-branch.

Orochimaru mimicked him, following his every casual movement as they sized one another up. "You really are a curious little specimen, aren't you?" The Sound Shinobi, a man who previously belonged to the organization known as the Akatsuki, observed.

He was smiling, apparently shrugging off the lad's insults as though they hadn't even fazed him. "Specimen? That there's some fancy lingo for a regular run-of-the-mill ninja, even the legendary variety. Let me guess, you're a scientist." Pītā made an educated guess, something he was particularly good at.

Orochimaru paused for a second, as if contemplating the next thing that slipped out of his mouth. "Sharp boy… I am known for my experimental nature, yes." He revealed, which was something he wouldn't have done under any other circumstance.

But the child before him, asking so many questions and making so many assumptions, clearly had some sort of a thirst for knowledge. And on some level, Orochimaru appreciated that. People with potential asked questioned, they were the people that ascended above their peers and actually made some kind of a difference, good or bad.

Sheep were the people that were content with their miserably dull lives; ignorance was supposedly bliss after all. "That's one hell of an understatement," Anko chimed in, a bitter tone lacing her voice as her light brown eyes burned into her former sensei.

Orochimaru had a quiet laugh to himself, he considered Anko as a person that belonged in the latter category. "I'll bet… so, we doing this or what?" Pītā's voice once again stole his attention away from Anko, and the snake-like man was all too keen to give it to him.

His angular eyes, narrow and predatory in their shape, studied the boy intently. "Intelligent, to the point… I'm really starting to like you." Orochimaru… complimented?

Pītā frowned beneath that mask of his; he wasn't looking forward to trading blows with the guy. "What?! Are you out of your mind?!" Anko suddenly forgot the fact that she was in a world of pain, just long enough to yell out her bewilderment at the top of her lungs.

Pītā glanced back at her, one eye wincing slightly at the sheer volume of the woman. "You sound surprised," he snarked, able to see the funny side of such a situation.

Anko, apparently, wasn't as amused. "He's one of the four legendary Shinin, an S-Rank ninja of the highest calibre. He'll kill you, Pītā. There're no ifs, ands or butts about it." She expressed, attempting to step forward and slap the stupid out of him.

Of course, she was halted in her tracks as Orochimaru opened his mouth. "Let's test that theory, shall we?" The Shinobi, with his long, dark hair, spoke as his eyes flared up.

Something unseen hit both Jōnin and Genin, the two of them seizing up as the demon-like figure stared into their very souls. They couldn't move, not one muscle as Orochimaru smirked. He was in control of the situation once again, as things should've been. Both Anko and Pītā attempted to move, attempted to force every inch of their shaking bodies to obey their panicked commands and just move.

Anko's thoughts were racing while Pītā's spider-sense went haywire, bombarding his skull with increasingly violent warnings that something bad was about to happen. "You see it, don't you? The inevitability of your demise, of every demise really. Human beings really are frail little things; such is the fragility of life." He addressed both of them for a moment, speaking fondly like he was teaching some kind of class.

Anko's pale brown eyes darted over to the boy on her left, sweat drenching her purple fringe and dripping down her forehead. He was trying to move, his fists were balled as tight as they could've been. Every inch of him was twitching and shaking, almost as if he was fighting against gravity itself, like it'd been dramatically increased to the point that everything felt like it was made of lead.

She wanted to tell Pītā what was happening, because she knew full well what was happening. His killing intent, she wanted to explain, almost reassure him that there was nothing he could've done to fight it. Older and more experienced ninja had fallen prey to it, the sheer palpable thirst for death that Orochimaru conveyed in a single, striking glance.

Anko wasn't entirely sure, it had supposedly happened a good several years ago but… she was sure she'd heard that Kakashi himself had seized up in the man's presence, back when he was still young and with ANBU. When she'd heard it, she'd laughed, had a good full blown fit of giggles about it. Because just the notion of someone as calm and composed as the copy-nin, freezing in terror like a startled deer, it was a little much.

Though, Anko had never experienced it herself before. It granted her an entirely new viewpoint of things, an entirely new angle. She wasn't afraid of Orochimaru, she wasn't. She'd spent a good part of her childhood with the man; once upon a time she'd even trusted him. But at no point had she ever been scared of him, not once.

Apparently, some things changed. "And then there's your kind, the famous spiders and all they can do, will wonder's never cease. While it's true that you're much harder to kill than most, you're still far too human for your own good." At this point, Orochimaru had turned his full attention to the kid once again.

Though, he didn't seem as impressed as he had been. "It's a shame really; I was hoping you'd prove to be far more impressive. It seems most of the strength of your bloodline has dwindled over the years, what a terrible waste." The pale skinned ninja was disappointed; perhaps disheartened that the boy had succumbed to something that everyone else did too.

Pītā watched helplessly as images of his own untimely death cluttered his mind, the simplicity of it rendering him speechless. Not that he had the ability to open his mouth anyway, but watching himself take a kunai to the head and drop like deadweight did a real number on him. His breath hitched in his throat, the notion and mechanics of oxygen intake suddenly becoming a lot more complex and unfathomable to him.

Orochimaru brandished a kunai blade, spotless steal comfortably gripped in his hand. "If it's any consolation, you really were quite entertaining." He felt the need to compliment; as though he were letting the boy down easy that he just didn't make the cut.

The man didn't grandstand or give a rousing speech, he didn't play with the weapon and further the boy's anxiety with agonizing anticipation, Orochimaru simply aimed and then let it fly. It was dreadfully accurate, sailing through the forest air at a frightening speed, headed straight for the space right between the lad's big brown doe eyes.

Time seemed to stand still as Pītā's body refused to budge, his spider-sense roaring and constantly reminding him that he was about to bite it. It was infuriating really, constantly nagging him to move. Like he didn't know to dodge something that was going to kill him, he hadn't been born yesterday. He was no idiot, he knew he couldn't die. He couldn't afford to die, not just yet anyway. Even at such an early point in his life, he had a lot of people depending on him.

Pītā couldn't have left Anko on her own to fend for herself, he still needed to follow his spider-tracer and find his missing friends. And last but not least, in all honesty, Pītā really wouldn't have minded being promoted and making Chūnin. It wasn't vital, it wasn't necessary at all but it would've been the icing on the cake, the proverbial cherry on top.

Of course, if any of that were to come to pass, he needed to get his act together and move. Realistically, he had to break things down. Was he really afraid of Orochimaru? No, he really wasn't. Was he terrified of dying? That thought had been repeating throughout his head the entire day, most prominently when Mikio was wailing on him.

Pītā wasn't afraid of dying, he was afraid of what happened after. What would've happened to Anko? Would Orochimaru have killed her? What about his teammates? They couldn't have finished the exams without him, they'd have been disqualified. What about his aunt? Mei had already lost her husband, what would've happened if she'd received the news that her twelve year old nephew had been killed?

Pītā couldn't let it happen, he just couldn't. It didn't happen immediately, it happened in stages. The lad's muscles began to loosen up as his breathing evened out; his spider-sense became less of an assault and more of an aid. Pītā didn't overcome the fear; there was no fear present to begin with. Without a word, he bolted forward and leapt clear across the gap, sailing right over the kunai that seemed to have been suspended in mid-air.

Orochimaru was so caught off-guard that someone, a mere twelve year old no less, had powered though his killing intent that he was speechless. Pushing through by way of pain was one way, as the Uchiha boy had done earlier that day, but powering through by sheer force of will was something else entirely. He watched, completely enamoured as Pītā flipped, tagging the still in motion kunai with a web-line, before swinging it his way in a downwards arc.

At the very last second, the Shinin made a desperately last ditch move. The descending spider witnessed the whip-like kunai on a web-line slice straight through Orochimaru, right down the middle. He split in two, splashing to the moss covered bark of the tree. Pītā landed in a three point crouch, a hand and both of his sandals making contact with the deep brown substance.

The spider examined his fingers for a moment, before gazing around with narrowed eyes. "A mud clone? Dude, come on." He complained, rising to stand as he turned around to check up on Anko.

The Tokubetsu-Jōnin seemed much less stiff than before, apparently Orochimaru's disappearance had somehow broken the effectiveness of his killing intent. "Yeah, he does that sometimes." Anko answered, though really was trying to push past the paralysis of her body.

Oh, and the fact that a twelve year old kid had overpowered her old sensei's killing intent, she couldn't forget that. "That was no easy feat, boy. I'm eager to know, just how did you break free?" It seemed the man himself was taken with the accomplishment, his voice a disembodied echo as it bounced from tree to tree.

Neither Anko nor the highly sensitive Pītā could place the source, so instead had to wait it out. "Wasn't so tough, I've spent the better half of the day fighting for my life. And I haven't come this far to choke out against some chalky vampire looking dude… no offence," the spider felt inclined to answer, bobbing his head as he insulted the man yet again.

Orochimaru returned the favour, throwing a reply the child's way. "None taken," it was closer, louder and judging by the intense warning of his spider-sense… directly above Pītā.

The serpent-like Shinobi dropped from the guarded foliage of a taller tree, like a bat out of hell, right behind Pītā. Before Anko could warn the lad, Pītā had already ducked beneath a right haymaker, spinning on his heel to deliver a roundhouse kick. His sandal breezed by Orochimaru's pale chin, and the man was already advancing. He systematically attacked the boy, showcasing inhuman speed and reflexes as they traded blows.

Anko was watching the entire thing play out, unsure whether the best thing was to get involved or not. The whole proctor part of her—the part of her that was supposed to look out for the kids to at least some degree—wanted to step in, but another part of her was actually impressed. Because even though Pītā hadn't tagged Orochimaru just yet, the S-Rank ninja hadn't yet landed one successful hit on the Genin either.

"You're even uglier up close," Pītā snarked, snapping his head to the right of a set of pale knuckles.

Orochimaru had to guard against a particularly reverberating elbow, employing the use of his forearm to protect his head as he replied. "It's the last face you'll ever see," he threatened, not quite sure if it was an empty one himself.

He was testing the boy, so anything could've happened at that point. Having absolutely no luck in close quarter combat, Orochimaru leapt backwards and whipped out two shuriken, one in each hand. He let them fly, slicing them through the air and watched with increasing intrigue as Pītā seamlessly fit into the space between them.

They hit nothing but air, searing off and out of sight. But the brief moment granted Orochimaru what he wanted, an opportune distraction. Pītā was caught off-guard when something sticky and almost rubbery tagged his arm, raising his head in confusion to discover that it was his foe's snake-like tongue.

"Okay, that's new." Pītā mumbled as he planted his feet on the bark of the expansive tree-branch, pulling the tongue taut.

Orochimaru yanked his head back as hard as he could and while Pītā felt some seriously impressive resistance, he employed the use of his uncanny adhesive abilities and a little bit of spider-strength, allowing him to remain perfectly still. The Sound ninja's golden eyes widened, he hadn't moved the child one bit.

Pītā smirked; he was doing fairly well all things considered. "You know I stick to things, right? Get over here!" The boy mocked, gripping the slippery texture of the tongue and pulling with all his might.

The result was instantaneous, flinging the man like a ragdoll, headed straight for him. Pītā put everything he had into one hell of a prime uppercut, landing it perfectly. Orochimaru soared off, his tongue twisting and flailing behind him as he flew.

"And it's good!" Pītā called out, raising his hands as though he were cheering.

A little childish, sure but he felt he'd earned it. "Do not let your guard down, Pākā. He's testing you, toying with you. He wants to—ugh!" Anko attempted to warn the boy, though every single movement she made was slow, sluggish and put her into a world of hurt.

That damn Heaven's Curse Mark, ever since Orochimaru had reactivated it after it had laid dormant for so long, it just wouldn't let up. "What's with you? Has he done something to you?" Pītā had already cleared the distance between the two of them, a clear look of concern glossing over those big brown eyes of his.

Anko felt his adolescent hands already propping her up like she weighed nothing; it sort of agitated her actually. "I can walk, dummy." She softly insulted, gently pushing away from him.

Pītā arched an eyebrow; he really didn't understand the behaviour of some adults. "You're a real piece of work, you know that?" He folded his arms as she did her best to remain upright, resisting the urge to just hoist her off the wooden surface they were stood on.

Anko threw a cheeky smile his way, though he was able to recognize the sheer fatigue in it too. "Sorry, mom… geez." The woman, a grown woman at that, rolled her light brown eyes as the kid shook his head.

The fleeting moment of respite didn't last long, as a faint rumbling alerted the pair. They span around, Pītā admittedly much faster than the laboured Anko, and prepared for whatever was growing in volume and proximity. Anko knew the technique, and the spider recalled it from earlier that day.

They were both struck by an immense torrent of unforgiving wind, completely knocking Anko off of her feet and carrying her into the air. Pītā would've stayed put, having planted his sandals firmly on the jagged bark of the tree-branch. But the wind, being the relentless element that it was, completely shattered the remaining tree-branch, splintering centuries old wood every which way and catapulting Pītā from his perch.

The boy let the wind carry him just as he had done earlier in the day; he needed to get closer to his proctor anyway. The expert tracker attempted to right herself in mid-air, but every time her curse mark flared up, her body rolled into a ridiculous amount of spasms. The woman felt herself being plucked right out of the air, feeling almost weightless as she descended right down to the absolute base of the Forest of Death, the dirt and grass covered ground.

The wind eventually died down, calming enough that she was actually able to hear sound again. "Nice catch," Anko congratulated the lad that was carrying her, holding her bridal style embarrassingly.

Pītā shrugged, he'd performed infinitely more difficult tasks than catching a woman whilst airborne. "Thanks," he shortly replied, before his elder unceremoniously forced her way out of his grip.

"Now get off," Anko hit the floor knees first, the moist dirt of the forest cushioning her rather short tumble as it decorated her fair skinned legs.

Pītā took a step back, watching the Tokubetsu-Jōnin wince and mutter a curse beneath her breath. "What the hell is your problem?" He asked, a little more forcefully than he was used to.

Anko heard it, it was probably the first time she'd heard him raise that cocksure voice of his. "I don't like being coddled," she answered, resulting in a roll of the eyes from her younger company.

The red and blue clad Shinobi threw his hands up in compliance; clearly she wasn't used to the concept of teamwork. "Fine, then how about you get up off your butt and help me take this whack job. Better?" He raised his voice, or did his best to assert a more aggressive tone.

Anko just barely managed to climb to her feet, without the kid's insistent outside help. "Better," she offered a cheeky grin his way, before unceremoniously cracking her back.

Pītā quirked an eyebrow, watching her cycle through a series of hand signs. "Now, throw down some webbing and let me show you how it's done, squirt." She commanded, she was still the adult after all, watching as the spider cluelessly stretched out his arms in front of him.

Orochimaru exploded out of the maze-like structure of trees and thickets, knocking the boy's sixth sense for a loop. "Aim all around him! Now!" Anko bellowed, causing Pītā to spray and prey like there was no tomorrow.

Several strands of silk steel whizzed by the looming Shinin, missing his head and torso and tagging the wall of greenery behind him. "Fire Style: Dragon Flame Jutsu!" Anko called out upon completing her hand signs, being mindful enough to yank Pītā away from his webbing by the scruff of his neck.

The duo watched as a spark of orange and yellow ember ignited the lines, before running along and burning through them like wildfire. It took seconds, less than that, for the elemental attack to reach the man. The streams of fire met in glorious fashion, colliding and mingling around Orochimaru to set him alight. The display lit up the surrounding darkness of the overhead forest, the heat and light so intense that Pītā had to throw an arm up in front of his face.

Anko on the other hand, did not. "Something smells good," she jested, gently elbowing her shorter companion in the ribs, as though he were somehow in on the joke.

"You've got issues, lady." Pītā mumbled back, slightly unnerved as the fire danced in the woman's pale brown eyes.

Several solid minutes passed by and the ferocious flames finally died down, throwing the forest back into the dark and cold of twilight. It was silent, as Anko and Pītā tried to visually sift through the charred remains of what had been left. It was difficult, no doubt even more so due to the growing blackness of the sky. Anko laughed, earning a severely questionable look from Pītā.

The woman actually laughed, like a howl and everything. Pītā didn't say anything, he didn't need to. His muscles were too tense, too wound up and ready to spring for him to cool off and take a breather. He'd been expecting more, having Anko spout warnings to him of some legendary Shinobi. It'd dug a preconceived notion of the fight into his head, how things should've gone and how they'd actually gone.

The pre-teen didn't want to admit that he was disappointed, far from it in fact. It was just that… well, yeah, he was kinda disappointed. Though, Pītā hadn't heard the phrase 'be careful what you wish for', or if he had he'd certainly forgotten it. Because as his spider-sense began to chime, he seriously regretted those stray thoughts floating around his muddled mind.

The smouldering wreck of dead trees and plant life rumbled and shook, putting an immediate end to Anko's hysterical howling. "Ah, crap." The woman muttered, pale brown eyes widening as a smoking Orochimaru burst out of the fiery remains.

He was headed right for her, the lower half of his body resembling the long, winding form of a snake as he slithered toward her with inhuman speed. Pītā pushed her out of the way, the both of them tumbling clear as the Shinin made a pass at them. The duo rolled, landing in a crouch and watching as Orochimaru circled back around, hissing something fierce.

"He seems upset," Pītā noted, his spider-sense lighting the synapses of his brain on fire.

The Sound ninja flew at the pair of them, a white knuckle fist reeled back and ready to inflict a serious world of hurt upon the two annoyances. That had been the plan, though neither he nor Anko had expected the lad dressed in red and blue to catch his punch. Orochimaru, every ounce of his force and momentum, had been completely halted in his tracks. The shock was apparent in both sets of eyes, glistening golden and light brown. Pītā's own orbs were narrowed, his arm shaking as he fought against rather impressive resistance.

He had to wordlessly admit, the snake looking dude was no pushover. "You're strong; pal… but I've already met someone stronger." The spider spoke through gritted teeth, pushing back against Orochimaru's fist.

Anko was speechless, literally speechless as the kid—a twelve year old punk of a Genin—overpowered one of the legendary four Shinin in a contest of strength. While she severely doubted he'd have the same luck against Lady Tsunade or the missing in action Madame Juria, it was still impressive nonetheless.

Pītā wound his free fist back, ready to knock the guy clear into next week. "Summoning Jutsu: Rashōmon!" Had Orochimaru not thought on his feet, cycling through a few rapid hand signs and doing it one-handed too.

The boy's spider-sense roared and he let go of his enemy's fist, jerking his entire arm back and stepping backwards as something huge sprung forth from the Earth beneath them. Both Pītā and Anko wordlessly witnessed some kind of massive metal construct rise out of the ground, creating a solid barrier between them and Orochimaru. The construct was an ugly sight; the angry, rage-filled face of a demon was painted onto the front of it. It was a dull grey in colour, framed by a red spiked and jagged material.

When the rumbling finally stopped and the dirt it had kicked up finally settled, the thing resembling a giant gate dwarfed them in size. It was tall, taller than any building either one of them had ever seen. Though its impossible height stopped short of outmatching the surrounding trees, it still cast a looming shadow over the ants around it.

Pītā didn't know what to say, he'd never seen such a thing in all his short years. "That's a new trick," Anko muttered, it seemed she hadn't either.

Orochimaru heard the musing on the other side of the barrier, an otherworldly gate made up of metal no known force could break. "Oh, it's much more than a trick, my dear. The Rashōmon is an ultimate defence, capable of withstanding even the—" The mad scientist began to ramble, attempting to explain the functionality of such a technique.

"Don't hold back," though, the man hadn't expected Anko to interrupt him, even though she was the rudest individual he'd ever met.

Pītā threw the woman, his senior and higher ranking ninja, a look of adolescent confusion. "What?" A one-worded question came out of his masked covered mouth, perfectly displaying how lost he was on the matter.

The boy was taken by surprise when Anko grabbed one of his wrists and raised it in front of him, shaking it like a ragdoll. "Your freaky spider-strength! I've been watching you since you stumbled into this mess, every move you've made. You've been holding back, afraid that you'll hurt someone. Let me be the first to tell you, kid. This isn't some game, okay? That man over there, with his stupid bleached skin, will kill you the first chance he gets, he's a legendary Shinobi and you are nothing to him! I'm nothing to him! So do us both a favour and stop holding back, let loose and hit the damn thing before I hit you!" Anko practically yelled, living up to her reputation as not exactly the most pleasant woman in the Leaf Village.

Pītā yanked his hand back, his chocolate brown eyes never leaving her own. "Just give me a reason, lady." He murmured, stepping away from her to size up the demonic gate in front of him.

The lad didn't know how the woman knew, how she'd managed to see past his limitations, but she had. It was true, Pītā had been supressing his strength. He just couldn't help it, it was second nature. Ever since he was a child, he'd learnt of his dangerous physical prowess and had been extremely conscious in the choice to dampen it. It had gotten to the point that he didn't even know he was doing it, around a decade of practising did that.

He didn't want to have to be afraid every time he hugged his aunt, he didn't want to accidentally kill one of his friends or teammates by patting them on the back too hard. Even with more experienced individuals, people that probably could've killed him at the drop of a hat, it was just a reflex. When he, Naruto and Sakura had to retrieve a set of bells from Kakashi-Sensei, he'd been holding back then too.

It was one of the things Pītā had the hardest time with, not because of how difficult it was keeping a lid on every move he made. More so because of the fear born out of it, the paranoia that went hand-in-hand with such thoughts. Pītā had convinced himself for years that it was him doing the right thing, it was him being responsible.

And maybe that was true, but there was always some part of himself that doubted it. Pītā shook his head as he forgot about those countless fears and doubts that plagued him, swallowing and doing what he always did. Pītā buried it, deep within himself and took a deep breath. It was something he did every day in order to focus, in order to never let himself go for even the briefest of moments and end up ripping a door off of its hinges or harming an innocent animal because he pet it too hard.

Pītā balled his fist and reared back, he had no idea what the scary looking gate was made out of but he had to at least try and test it. For once in his life, Pītā put everything he had into one, monumental superhuman blow. He didn't hold back, not one bit as his knuckles collided with the dull metal of the gate.

The result wasn't instantaneous; the gate didn't explode open beneath the sheer force of Pītā's fist. But the Rashōmon still failed where it shouldn't have, the otherworldly materials it was made up of slowly bending and giving. The indentation of Pītā's small, very adolescent fist gradually grew in size as he drilled into it. With gritted teeth hidden behind that dark blue mask of his; he had to admit that the gate was the most resilient thing he'd ever encountered.

Orochimaru was once again speechless for one of the first times in his life, watching as something bulged and warped the metal of the gate. The sheer force the lad must have been exerting was indecipherable, stunning the Shinin on the spot. Anko herself had been caught off-guard, whilst it had been her idea in the first place to just mash into it, she honestly hadn't expected Pākā to be capable of such a thing.

Pītā pulled back, the knuckles hidden beneath his fingerless red gloves aching. "Couple more hits like that and it's go time, Rochi. You mind if I call you Rochi? You know, like a cockroach?" The Genin mocked, about to lay into the gargantuan object standing between him and the Shinin.

Though, the gate wasn't an issue any longer as it suddenly descended back from whence it came, grinding into the soft Earth beneath it until it disappeared entirely. Pītā and Anko readied themselves as Orochimaru once again came into view, standing rather loosely and with no clear intentions. Anko was a little confused on the matter; he'd apparently dispelled the technique.

"Your strength… I've only ever met two others like you, both of them relics of an irrelevant past. Too powerful for your own good, just like they were." Orochimaru spoke, hissing through that subtle and understated grin of his.

It gave Anko a serious case of the creeps; she involuntarily twitched as shivers ran down her spine. "You want something, don't you? I used to be your student, it's the only reason you'd ever cease fighting and start talking. Whatever it is, whatever you want, spit it out." The woman pushed past her fears and insecurities, the curse mark on her neck having calmed down for the moment.

A light laugh emerged from the pale man's stretched reptile-like mouth, carving even deeper frowns onto both Pītā and Anko's lips. "You know me so well, Anko. You on the other hand… you're something new, something intriguing. You've performed far beyond my expectations, which is something I rarely find myself saying. Even for a spider, you're a rare breed. And you know that, don't you?" Orochimaru took his piercing eyes away from the woman in the trench coat, devoting his full attention on the boy in the ravaged flak jacket beside her.

Pītā side-eyed his elder, as if checking with her whether or not he was allowed to answer. "I know that these hands can do a lot of damage, hard to keep 'em in check sometimes." Despite the shake of the head from Anko, Pītā chose to participate.

The grin widened on their enemy's face, pleased he was being indulged. "But you do anyway, because you might slip up and kill someone. You might kill your little friends back in the village; you might end up killing a teacher. You might even snap Anko's neck if you handle her a little too roughly, she can barely stand as it is." He was digging, having overhead Anko's words earlier.

Pītā wasn't sure whether to answer, the man's evaluation had hit a little too close to home. "The thought had crossed my mind, yeah." He muttered, owning up to the doubts that riddled his logical and forward thinking mind.

Anko narrowed her eyes, glaring daggers at the Shinobi in front of her. "What're you doing?" She pressed, the cogs turning in her own mind.

Orochimaru acknowledged her, but not by gracing her with his gaze. "Making an offer, once in a lifetime. How would you like to never experience that fear again? The fear that you might harm those closest to you, whether it's an innocent accident or you lose your temper and things start to… break." He queried, trailing off as he continued to smile, his canines on full display.

Pītā didn't answer, not immediately anyway. It was clear to Anko that her former sensei's words had struck the kid; the man had an unnatural knack for getting inside of people's heads. She didn't think much of kids, they were loud, bratty and always thought that they knew what was best. Those were some of the major contributing factors in the woman's decision to not have a child, at least not any time soon. But Pītā, just as Orochimaru had expressed moments earlier, he was a different breed altogether.

He was sharp, clearly there was some sort of above average intelligence at work there. It was curious too, because he hid it behind a walled-off exterior of jokes and punchlines, rattling them off like there was no tomorrow. He was powerful; she would've had to have been a fool not to take notice of it. But she'd also caught that he was… not afraid of his abilities, but of what his abilities could've done.

The way he kept a lid on them meant one thing, that he was responsible. Which in all honesty was a miracle for a child so young, kids were extraordinarily impressionable after all. And that impressionability was becoming a growing concern, as the boy seemed to have been receptive to what Orochimaru was saying. Anko knew the man, knew him quite intimately. And she did not want Pītā to repeat that same mistake, to offer trust to someone that did not deserve it.

"Please tell me you're not listening to this, Pākā." She attempted to appeal to him, going right for his common sense.

He was just standing there, one of the sorriest looking sights she'd ever laid eyes on. With his clothes practically hanging onto his body for dear life, dried blood and blackened stains smeared across every inch of him, and a lost, empty look in those big doe eyes of his. She had absolutely no clue what had happened to him prior, but he'd clearly gone ten rounds with someone dangerous. They'd had to have been dangerous; he was a spider after all.

Pītā hadn't answered, so Anko tried again. "Pākā!" She yelled, just shy of gripping his arm and shaking some life into him.

Orochimaru cut in, smiling as things had suddenly swung in his favour. "You had your chance, Anko, let the boy have his." He urged her to give up, to let things play out.

Something stirred in Pītā's eyes and he once again opened that big mouth of his, as though he'd been replaying his enemy's words in his head over and over again. "There's a catch, there's always a catch." He noted, ignoring the haggard looking woman next to him.

Orochimaru shook his head, employing his immaculate poker face. "Just the promise of potential, no restrictions, no rules or limitations. No reason to have to keep holding yourself back, nothing to be afraid of. All you have to do is swear allegiance to me," lies poured out of his mouth, living up to his snake-like nature.

Pītā scoffed, quite sceptically too. "Oh, is that all?" He wasn't an idiot, he knew enough to know when someone was obviously spouting lies.

It was to be expected, it wasn't like Orochimaru was known for his honest nature. "There might be a few more things that aren't worth noting, think of them as the small print in a binding contract." The man made the comparison flippantly, waving a hand casually.

The youngest of the bunch, the brunette with the attitude problem, nodded. "Nobody ever reads that," he commented, absent minded in its delivery.

"Precisely," Orochimaru agreed, slowly but surely feeling as though he was getting somewhere with the lad.

Ever so slowly, forcing both Orochimaru and Pītā to take notice of her, Anko stepped in front of the latter. "You're not taking him anywhere, I won't let you." She asserted, her arms spread wide and a deep frown carved onto her lips.

The pale skinned man set his jaw as the woman, a girl he once knew all grown up, stood between him and his newfound interest. "Anko, I'd really hate to have to kill you to get to him. So, consider this a warning." His eyes flared, almost hypnotic as they triggered something in the Leaf Kunoichi.

Anko dropped to the dirt ground beneath her, grovelling on her knees as the curse mark on her neck burned into her very skin. Pītā flinched, involuntarily reaching for her, as if to help in some way. He held off, watching her grit her teeth and push through what must have been excruciating pain. Upon closer inspection, Anko was clutching at something just as she had been earlier.

His soft chocolate eyes slowly flickered from his ally to his enemy, he came to the conclusion that Orochimaru had some level of control over Anko through the use of… what, he wasn't sure. "Have you come to a decision, boy?" The Shinin pressed, he didn't have all day after all.

Pītā opened his mouth to answer, hidden beneath that dark blue mask of his. "He's lying, kid." But he was beaten to the punch by Anko, tears stinging her pale brown eyes as sweat rolled off of her forehead.

It was astonishing to both parties, how she was still even able to function, to stay competent, enduring such physical abuse. "That's all he knows how to do… it's in his nature, he's a damn traitor. You're not though and you never will be, right? Think of your village, Pākā. Think of your friends, your aunt, and your team. Think of all of them and then answer, consider everything you've ever known and tell this blowhard what you think of his offer." Anko grinned, her arm visibly shaking as it struggled to support her weight, pressed against the soft soil of the Earth.

Pītā's eyes, fraught with concern for a crazy lady he barely knew, were once again drawn to Orochimaru. "Make. A. Choice." He voiced his frustration, Anko's constant chattering filling the boy's head with sentimental nonsense.

But it hadn't been Anko's words that had made Pītā's mind up, he hadn't even been really listening to the man before him. Just as he had earlier, when fighting to preserve his team's scroll stored safe inside his wrecked flak jacket. The young spider, supposed last of his kind, was not going to roll over and show his belly at the first sign of trouble. He wasn't going to be groomed by some sinister looking dude with a superiority complex, a guy that was so very clearly the spokesperson for freaks everywhere.

Pītā subconsciously loosened up, instinctually preparing for what was about to happen. "Get bent," he spat, eliciting a frown out of the brilliant Shinobi standing in front of him.

Orochimaru set his jaw, just trying to process such a blatant disregard for him and his words. "As choices go, that was quite a poor one." He pointed out, piercing the boy with his predatory eyes.

A sense of urgency welled up within Pītā, watching as the dangerous missing-nin opened his mouth. "Ten Thousand Snakes Wa—" The child didn't let him finish, sealing his gaping maw with a quick-fire bolt of spider-silk.

As the dark haired Sound ninja struggled to tear the organic substance off of his face, Anko let a laugh escape her lungs. "Knew you wouldn't let me down," even though it hurt like hell with each heave of her chest, it was worth it at the expense of her ex-teacher.

Pītā was immediately by her side, his arms propping her up and keeping her steady. "My webbing's tensile strength is stronger than steel, there's no way he's getting that off any time soon." He explained, looping her arm over his shoulders and letting her lean on him.

Which Anko ashamedly had to do, her knees were just about to buckle. She wouldn't have admitted it, but she just wasn't as tough as the minor in her stead. She didn't have superhuman spider-blood coursing through her veins; she was just as human as anybody else and had already exerted herself beyond what was possible.

Pītā was going to put as much ground between them as he could; there was no need to fight any longer. His main concern was the senior ninja in his care; Anko looked to have been fading in and out of consciousness as he limped away from the scene with her. Of course, nothing was ever easy in the life of a Shinobi. More accurately, nothing was ever easy in the life of Pītā Pākā.

His spider-sense urged him to turn around, to set his eyes on the growing threat behind him. Anko had to as well, just barely managing to raise her head and just in time too. The duo watched in sheer bewilderment and disgust as Orochimaru forced a massive, glowing blade up through his throat and right out of his mouth. The mysterious weapon sliced clean through each sporadic strand of translucent webbing, before it was fully spat out into the waiting hands of its wielder.

"Unless he… regurgitates a sword, thanks for the heads up." Pītā dumbly spoke, his chocolate brown eyes as wide as saucers.

Anko wasn't fairing any better, the stunned look on her complexion masking her inner pain. "I'm just as freaked as you are, kiddo." The purple haired bombshell shared the boy's demeanour; she hadn't seen her old sensei for quite some time after all.

It seemed in the span of those years since his desertion of the Hidden Leaf Village, Orochimaru had learnt several new—and incredibly disturbing—tricks.

* * *

Some distance away, hidden underneath the increasingly colder air and darker sky of twilight, a lonely female Genin was hard at work on a few tricks of her own. The girl had no idea how she'd managed it, but Sakura Haruno had somehow moved Naruto, Sasuke, Sai and Yakumo to a safe place. Hidden beneath the claw-like roots of a fine old tree, the four ninja slept soundly, unaware of the world around them and the dangers it contained.

Unaware of what Sakura had had to do in order to keep them safe, make sure no-one found them. It had taken her hours, long, tiring hours of toiling away in increasingly reduced visibility. Her emerald eyes seemed to glow in the dimness of early evening as sweat drenched her forehead, her back, running down and staining her red dress with dark damp patches.

She was covered in dirt; the Earthy substance caked her bare legs, her elbows, her cheeks, her arms. She exhaustingly sawed away at the tangled roots of a large bush with her kunai knife, sighing when she cut clean through it. The pink haired lass had been doing the same thing for around an hour, taking bushes and greenery from the surrounding area to stack it up against the small alcove she'd found for her friends and teammate.

Every now and then, she took a break and sat down in the dirt, back pressed against the solid bark of the tree as she rested for a while. Whenever she needed to quench a consistently growing thirst, a nearby flowing stream of fresh water sated her quite nicely. It was crystal clear, cool as ice and made Sakura smile fondly just thinking about the relief and pleasure it brought.

She'd obscured her friends so they could sleep safely, without incident. She'd set up a few traps with what she'd had on her, which wasn't much to begin with. A few lines of rope, a handful of shuriken and two kunai knives. Her primary blade strapped to her thigh, and a spare she always carried around just in case. It was standard issue to be prepared, though Sakura wasn't sure if anyone else kept a spare handy.

She did this for quite some time, divided her time up between resting, throwing together makeshift defences and checking on her friends' well-being. Sai, Yakumo and Naruto slept without incident. Naruto seemed physically exhausted, whereas Sai and Yakumo appeared stiff as a board. Apparently, whatever that man—Orochimaru—had done to them, it had somehow paralyzed them. Though, the only one of the group of four that Sakura had to routinely check up on was Sasuke.

He tossed and turned every now and then, nestled beneath the shadow of the tree. He was in pain, that much was clear to the girl. She kept a few rags of clothing handy that she'd fashioned into cold compresses, applying them to his forehead in an effort to keep him cool and stave off some kind of a fever. One thing in particular that drew the Kunoichi's curious eyes each time was the mark on his neck, the very same one that horrible man had applied.

It consisted of three tomoe, teardrop shaped in nature and stark black in colour. Sakura didn't know what it was, why Orochimaru had given it to Sasuke or what it meant. But it looked evil, just the vibe it gave off every time she laid eyes on it had her shiver involuntarily. Nobody was going to convince her that it was a good thing, not with the way it'd been forced onto the lad, not with the way it almost appeared a part of him.

Sakura crawled back into the alcove she'd found for her fellow Leaf ninja, stopping to sit on her knees with her hands in her lap as the drab sky continued to darken and push on towards night. She didn't have a watch, had no idea what the exact time of day it was, but said day was drawing to a tiring and aching close. The last time she'd seen the third missing member of her team, it had been early morning at least.

The girl shut her eyes and frowned at the sheer thought of Pītā, what had happened before he'd vanished into thin air. Some strange force of power had separated them but even seconds prior to that, the spider had been forced onto his knees in a sudden bout of pain. It actually disturbed Sakura a little bit, just recalling the event. The simple image of Pītā, grovelling on the floor and clutching his head as though it were about to split in two. She'd never heard him scream before, she'd heard him yell, shout, grandstand and every other word she could think of to describe him raising his voice.

But she'd never heard him feel the need to cry out in agony, and it shocked her. How full of rage and anger it was, like he was trying to force his way through it and come out on top. As though it were some kind of fight, a fight that could've been physically won. She had no idea what was inside that head of his, but it was clearly causing him extreme discomfort.

Actually, that wasn't completely true. It was hard remembering exactly what the boy had said, but he had said something moments before he disappeared. The girl furrowed her pink brow as she wracked her mind, flipping through the pages of her memory to recover the exact words that had left his mouth. Sakura winced when she remembered, as the whispered words escaped his throat in a strangled cry.

"Spider-sense…" the pink haired ninja murmured to herself, the strange alien phrase rolling right off of her tongue.

He'd whispered it first, then yelled it as a warning. "What does it mean? He said it right before the attack, right before we were separated. Almost as if…" Sakura trailed off as a thought occurred to her, a rather silly and off the wall thought that she immediately regretted thinking.

She didn't want to say it, voice it out loud, because she knew she would've sounded like a complete idiot. But the thought persisted mentally, fining down her common sense and feeding her genuine curiosity. She started to put two and two together, slowly but surely. The way Pītā fought, how confident and cocksure he was, even in the face of total danger. The snow rabbit he'd managed to detect in the Land of Waves, the few instances where he'd dodged an attack he hadn't been able to see.

The most recent incident was the last straw for the girl; he'd managed to somehow see past the Transformation Jutsu of that Rain ninja, right off the bat. He always downplayed it, never answered Sakura's questions directly and was evasive as all hell. Which meant he was hiding something, which also meant that Sakura wasn't just being paranoid and that Pītā Pākā had an ability that enabled him to do things other ninja couldn't.

With all of her internal ramblings, Sakura had almost managed to miss a far off noise in the distance, the distinct sound of a twig snapping. The Genin was immediately on guard, clutching the thigh holster of her kunai out of sheer instinct, an innate reflex that triggered every time danger might've reared its ugly head.

Sakura tried not to draw too much attention to it, because she didn't want whoever was spying on her to know that she was onto them. It was funny, she wasn't even sure that somebody was following her, it could have very well been some of the local wildlife kicking up a fuss in the nearby mess of bushes. That would've been the rational explanation, but her gut was telling her a completely different thing altogether.

People knew when they were being watched, it was hard to explain or describe but when a pair of eyes that belonged to some stranger was roaming all over said person, it was tough to shake the feeling. The feeling of goose bumps covering the arms, the feeling that someone or something was hiding in the corner of the eye. It was almost as if they were hardwired into a person's DNA, little defence mechanisms to let them know that they weren't alone.

And regardless of the silence hanging in the sombre air around her, Sakura certainly did not feel alone. Her fingers lost their tense and rigid grip on her holster, her hand once again resting in her lap as she attempted to stay awake. It was late, getting even later, and Sakura had been conscious for so many hours. Her body had been consistently active and on the move ever since early morning, when Proctor-Anko had first sent them off into the unknown depths of the Forest of Death.

She hadn't known what to expect then, none of them had. Even with absolutely no information on hand, other than the constant warnings of the purple haired woman in charge and some of the ninja that had scrubbed out of the exams in the years prior, the rookies were swimming up creek without a paddle. Sakura remembered how hesitant she'd been, how cautious and reserved she'd appeared while Naruto was just as eager as he always was and Pītā verbally fenced with Proctor-Anko.

Sakura recalled the advice she'd been given upon entering the forest she now inhabited, the kind words her missing teammate had elected to impart to her in an effort to cheer her up. "As long as we stick together, we can do this." The girl silently contemplated those words as she repeated them, humouring herself somewhat as she attempted to replicate Pītā's thick, flowing and fast-paced accent.

The irony was not lost on her, that the one to preach teamwork had gotten himself lost somewhere. He was an idiot, leaving her all alone with Naruto, all alone to fend for herself. Sakura sighed, she really wanted to blame the lad, he was the one who'd convinced her that everything would be okay after all. But she couldn't summon the bitterness required to do so, her little body was simply too exhausted.

The only thing she was going to greet Pītā with when he showed his masked face again was a hug, not a lecture on how everything was his fault. The girl ran a ragged hand through her long pink locks, she wasn't quite sure whether that was healthy or not. The thoughts running through her head, echoes of fear and glimpses of hope. Fear in the shape of Orochimaru, and hope in the shape of her missing friend.

Sakura wanted to be held to the same standard as her teammates, she'd silently decided during their last little get-together with Kakashi-Sensei. She didn't want to be the weak one, the unreliable one, the one nobody could've counted on in their time of need. She was seriously starting to doubt herself now that she was the one in charge, she was the one taking care of everyone, she was the one who held life in her very hands.

There was no sugar-coating it, Sakura was scared. The Kunoichi was terrified that something was going to happen, that Orochimaru wasn't done with Sasuke yet and would find his way back to them, smiling viciously with that serpentine mouth of his, prepared to carry out something unspeakable. It was things like that that kept her awake and alert, ensuring her shimmering emerald eyes couldn't relish in the sweet peacefulness of rest.

It was nightmarish in a sense, Sakura couldn't remember the last time she'd had a nightmare. No, she was lying to herself. She recalled perfectly, as if she'd just suffered it days ago, just when she'd last been unable to sleep. It was surprising how long ago it was, surprising still how clearly and concisely she could recall every single detail of those nightmares.

Apparently, people only remembered at least a third of their dreams once they'd woken up. Perhaps it was simply because nightmares were usually much more vivid, much more enveloping and immersive. Probably because fear was so potent, a powerful agent that could strike against the core of a person much more effectively than any other emotion could.

Well, baring love perhaps.

Regardless, the nightmares she'd been suffering from had actually come about shortly after she'd met and befriended Ino. It was hard to forget how meek and anxious she was back then, being ridiculed because of her large forehead didn't help either. Much like Hinata, Sakura reasoned. That changed when Ino had given her a bow, a pretty blue one to tie into her vibrant pink hair and take some of the focus off of her forehead. That had been the general idea anyway, nothing too complex and world changing for children.

Life was good; Sakura was chipper, happy and making friends. She saw Sasuke for the first time, how incredibly cool he was and instantly fell head over heels for him. She met Naruto and saw how much of an idiot he was, always trying to pester Sasuke day in and day out. She'd met Pītā a year before the Academy; he lived right below her after all. Her mother and his aunt had introduced them while they chatted, and he was the closest thing she'd had to a friend back then. And then she'd started school with all of the other kids, and Pītā had not.

The girl couldn't help but let a fond smile grace her lips, just picturing the way Iruka-Sensei had introduced the boy to the class in their infancy. How different he was back then, garbed in a thick red hoody that was a little too long in the sleeves, yet even then wearing that dark blue mask of his. Okay, so not so different in terms of attire. But in terms of attitude, Pītā seemed like a completely different person.

He was quiet, nervous. Probably because Iruka-Sensei highlighted the fact that Pītā was a special case, that it had taken a while to figure out what to do with him and by then, they were already halfway into their first year in the Academy. He didn't like the attention, Sakura recalled. She couldn't see it on account of the mask, but she bet he was turning beet red beneath that thing. He marched right over to his seat, being eyed and studied by every child present, even Naruto was squinting his eyes at him, trying to figure the boy out.

But nothing left that mouth of his, not until class ended and the kids were let out into the yard to play amongst each other. Typically, Naruto had a bone to pick with Sasuke, still so cool and aloof even at such a young age. They got into it, exchanging childish insults and remarks as a small crowd gathered.

The fight ended with Sasuke pinning the blonde to the ground, his sandal keeping Naruto firmly in place as he squirmed. Sakura remembered how all of the other girls had yelled and cheered, how Ino had been smiling all the way through. She was no saint either, she'd been hooked every step of the way too. Of course, things all came to a head when Pītā stepped in.

Sakura sighed wistfully as the first words the small class of rookies ever heard Pītā speak repeated in her head, how simple and to the point they were. "It's wrong to pick on someone weaker than you," she remembered how silent things had gotten; both Sasuke and Naruto were perplexed at the newcomer.

And then the laughing came to her, how everyone laughed and laughed and laughed at the new kid, daring to stand up to Sasuke. The one thing Sakura had trouble remembering was whether she laughed or not, she genuinely wasn't sure. She hoped that she hadn't, that she'd stayed neutral and hadn't chosen between her crush and her odd, out of school friend. But that was simply her hope; reality might've been the complete opposite.

The laughing stopped when Sasuke took his sandal off of Naruto and approached Pītā who, to his credit, didn't move an inch. Said mirth was replaced by eagerness, anticipation, as to what Sasuke was going to do to him. The girls once again cheered as Sasuke pushed Pītā as hard as he could've managed and just like that, the cheering once again stopped.

Pītā hadn't budged, hadn't moved an inch as he stared at Sasuke, confusion fraught in his eyes. It was strange, almost as if the boy was trying to figure out just why he'd pushed him. Needless to say, Pītā pushed back. The girls screamed and children scattered as Sasuke flew clear across the yard, fortunately into the waiting arms of Iruka-Sensei, who'd been strolling over to see just what all of the commotion was about.

At least, Sakura thought so. Pītā was reprimanded for using his powers in such a way and while Iruka didn't yell, he was certainly stern with his words. It was right around then that the boys started to warm up to Pītā, which lead to the lad opening up more and more. That was when the nightmares had started; when Sakura witnessed a boy manhandle another boy like he was made of paper.

Her adolescent mind was unable to make sense of things, it was the first time she'd seen Pītā use his powers to do something other than walk on walls or spin silk. It was unusual, granted an all new perspective to the girl. He'd scared her, given her nightmares and thinking about it, Sakura reasoned that was why they'd drifted apart.

It was almost funny, how things had turned out, how they were quite the opposite now. Looking over at an unconscious Sasuke, contemplating how they too had drifted apart. But Sakura had to ask herself, were they ever really that close to begin with? The red garbed ninja shook her head, attempting to cast that particular thought away and out of mind. Because she wasn't comfortable with the fact that she was more concerned about Pītā than she was about her crush, the dark haired lad lying asleep right in front of her.

Perhaps it was because she was tired, her mind was playing tricks on her, her exhaustion sapping her lithe body of energy and making her question things she wouldn't have normally questioned. Sakura held her face in her hands as the sky darkened overhead, she just wanted Naruto to wake up and Pītā to come and find them.

She just wanted to go to sleep, was that too much to ask?

* * *

The sword, a double edged jian by the looks of it, glowed with an ethereal blue as it suddenly shot its way towards Pītā. The ninja didn't need his spider-sense to perceive the immediate danger, pushing Anko clear and bending backwards. The blade soared directly over his contorted body, the shining blue reflected in his surprised brown orbs.

When it passed, Pītā shot straight back up onto level footing. Just in time too, as the sword came back around for a second go. He snapped his head to one side as it thrusted right for him, before having to duck as it sliced clean across. All the while, Orochimaru stood back and watched keenly. Pītā was actually a little impressed, intrigued even.

A sword that moved independently of its user, almost as if it had a mind of its own, was an exciting prospect. "How're you doing that? Chakra? Magnetic fields? Some sort of telekinetic link with the sword itself?" Pītā rifled through a list of probable methods, he was really just checking them off of a mental list as he actually had no clue.

However, it seemed one of his guesses had hit the nail on the head. "Bright boy, you continue to surprise. It's a pity you rely on your brawn more than that brain of yours," Orochimaru lectured, controlling the attacking blade with nothing more than his mind.

Pītā leapt into the air, legs spread into a split as the sword passed right under him. "What're you, my councillor? Of the two of us, who seems crazier?" He tried to keep his cool under such extreme circumstances, landing and swiftly turning to whip out a spare kunai.

Orochimaru witnessed the boy attempt to fence with his weapon, glowing steel clashing with portable metal. "A question that will be answered another day, I have one far more demanding in mind." The man moved his finger, just a slight gesture of will that had untold consequences.

The levitating blade, a Sword of Kusanagi, abandoned the chinking and sparking of metal to soar straight for a downed Anko. "No!" Pītā's heart leapt into his throat as he let fly a web-line with his kunai-less hand, catching the hilt of the blade.

The resistance was overwhelming, far greater than Orochimaru's punch had been earlier. As such, Pītā had to drop the kunai and hold onto his line with both hands. He planted his sandals, bracing himself and bending at the knees a little. He couldn't use his adhesive abilities on the soil beneath him, it wasn't solid enough.

His arms were tense, solid masses of small yet incredibly durable muscles doing everything in their power to halt the sword in its mid-air tracks. "What is stronger? My mental will… or you?" Orochimaru posed, narrowing his golden eyes as he focused all the more.

Pītā gritted his teeth as he felt himself sliding along the forest floor, slowly but surely. His arms were shaking, he was being gradually overpowered by something he couldn't touch, couldn't fight back against. It wasn't fair in the slightest, such a cheap move in Pītā's mind. His fear ridden eyes were focused on nothing but Anko, crouched on the floor, clutching at her neck and unable to move.

Her breathing was slow and steady, she was just so exhausted. "You can't win this battle, Pītā. No amount of ridiculous strength is going to stop that sword from reaching its destination, the only way to do that is to stop me." Orochimaru explained, carefully informing the lad just how he was going to lose.

Though, his words had another unintended effect. "Duly noted," Pītā murmured, a bolt of lightning striking his brain as he took a chance.

He let one hand slide off of his slack web-line, turning and firing off yet another. Pītā hit his target, tagging Orochimaru directly in his chest. The man had been so focused on overwhelming Pītā with his mind; he hadn't been able to move in time. Pītā gave a simple tug, pulling him into the air towards him.

And then, locking both hands on the strand holding the sword yet again, Pītā pulled with all his adolescent might. It wasn't enough to halt the sword in its momentum, but he had managed to pull it off course and aim it at another unsuspecting target altogether. Orochimaru threw his hands up in defence as he spotted the otherworldly glow of the Sword of Kusanagi headed straight for him; he reflexively changed the weapon into a harmless snake, just fast enough to avoid being impaled.

While the sword no longer presented any danger to him, Pītā did. Orochimaru landed directly on the end of Pītā's fist, driving its way right into his gut and well and truly knocking the wind out of him. The twelve year old Genin didn't let up, following up with a savage right cross to the jaw. Blood sprayed all over Pītā's angry, narrowed eyes as the man span in place.

It wasn't enough to completely knock him out, so Orochimaru used his own momentum to come around and sweep the boy's legs, right out from under him. The Shinin wasted no time as Pītā's back collided with the soft soil, raising both arms high with the intention of smashing the boy into a bloody pulp. Pītā's spider-sense warned him, but he'd just been too slow to react.

Both fists collided with his small chest, urging a startled grunt out of him. Pītā retaliated by gripping Orochimaru and forcing him to the floor with him, wrapping both of his legs around the Shinobi's chest and squeezing with all his might. He felt his ribcage compress, struggling to stand against tons of pressure being poured onto his skeletal structure.

It was only through the man's countless years of self-experimentation that his bones didn't snap and cave in on themselves, though it didn't stop the pain. "Bet you didn't see this coming, huh? Get ready to tap out, Rochi!" The boy boasted, watching as Orochimaru struggled and squirmed in his vice-like grip.

A burst of Pītā's spider-sense put him on edge and the lad was having a hard time trying to determine how the man could've attacked him, especially in such a limiting position. He received his answer when Orochimaru sank both fangs into the leg compressing his chest, prompting a startled scream to die in Pītā's throat. He didn't waste any time as he pulled his free leg back and slammed it against the Shinin's head, having varying degrees of success.

Although he had forced Orochimaru off of him, kicking up dirt as he tumbled and slid some distance away, the Sound ninja had kept his canines firmly lodged in Pītā's leg the entire time. He'd been left with a long, ugly gash, streaking down the entirety of his leg and openly bleeding into the forest air. The leg of his pants had been shredded, and Pītā's face paled as he set eyes on the wound.

The two ninja squaring off with each other both rose to stand, making slow and equally measured movements as they took their sweet time. "Cheater," Pītā grimaced, holding onto his damaged leg with a twitching hand.

Orochimaru flicked his tongue into the air, tasting it just as a regular snake did. "Nobody said anything about fighting fair, boy. Multiple Striking Shadow Snakes!" He quickly braced himself as he yelled, raising his arm and pointing his open sleeve toward the unsuspecting Genin.

Pītā's chocolate orbs widened as they were faced with several huge serpents, a dark and dim green in their colour, all winding their way toward him at an alarming rate. "Could be worse… at least it's not rats," the boy murmured to himself, ducking below the slimy body of a snake as it struck out at him.

He swiftly uppercut it, before fluidly moving to the right to avoid a strike at his chest. Pītā wasted no time in reacting, bringing both of his palms around the snake and clapping, crushing the animal completely. His spider-sense forced him to pay attention to the snake whipping its way towards his legs and he jumped because of it, straight up and then straight down, stamping into the ground with both sandals, hard enough to kill it immediately.

Another chime of his danger sense, though more intense, garnered the pre-teen's attention. Instead of attacking him one at a time, multiple snakes converged on his position and went for the kill. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Pītā watched their slit irises and diamond patterned bodies draw closer and closer, forcing him to move at the last possible second. The spider was already high in the air when they hit the soft Earth, right where he'd been standing.

He cocked both hands, firing stream after stream of spider-silk in an effort to tangle them up and reduce their mobility. While they struggled below, a particularly large snake—straggling from the mess of slithering greenery—went straight for the red and blue thing suspended in the air. Once again, Pītā waited and timed things just right.

He flipped just as the snake darted at him, evading it completely and then planting the soles of his sandals down on its long, serpentine body. He used the snake to get closer to his target, sliding down its back much like that of a slippery slope, aiming right for Orochimaru. Pītā dived, tackling him without warning and holding nothing back in the meantime. The pair went barrelling straight through the base of a tree, leaving a gaping hole in its body as wood shattered and splintered every which way.

The duo hit the ground, rolling and tumbling hard as they pounded into each other, fighting for absolute supremacy. Until finally, they stopped when Pītā caught the man's fist and laid into him with his own, stunning Orochimaru completely. He stayed there for a moment—their momentum having worn off—dirt in his long ebony hair and a kid crouched over him menacingly, pinning him down.

Pītā's eyes narrowed, his nose scrunching up beneath his dark blue mask. "Gotcha," he sneered, his fingerless gloved fist reeled back and ready to make the man see stars.

Orochimaru smirked, his lips stretching as he gazed up at the victorious lad. "On the contrary, I've got you." The elder, more experienced and much more dangerous Shinobi twisted his words as Pītā tilted his head in confusion.

Until he felt a stinging sensation freeze him in place, his panicked eyes quickly glancing to his left to find two snakes latched onto his shoulder. Pītā gritted his teeth as their fangs dug deep, pumping something into his bloodstream with every slow second that passed by. He hadn't sensed them, when had they… or he had sensed them, and he was simply too caught up in the fight to have even noticed them.

Pītā felt his muscles tense and seize up, his raised arm shaking as it struggled to push itself forward and land the coup de grâce on the freak beneath him. "Here, let me." Orochimaru saw it, so instead offered his own services.

He didn't hold back as he drilled his fist into Pītā's waiting jaw, the force of the blow snapping his head to the left. "Snake venom, a particularly potent venom at that. One drop is usually enough to kill a fully grown man, you've just been hit with two full doses." He fell without resistance, without a word or a whimper, his masked face mashing into the dirt floor of the Forest of Death.

Orochimaru calmly climbed onto his feet, wiping a thin trail of blood off of his chin as he stood over Pītā. If he'd acknowledged the man's words, he didn't show it. He couldn't move, could barely even breathe, his lungs burning with each rapid intake of oxygen. The boy's vision began to blur, the surrounding trees and bushes all melding into one another to create a nauseating mass of green. Pītā's ears were ringing, allowing him to hear nothing but a high pitched tone as blood slowly leaked out of them.

His spider-sense was on red alert, begging him, pleading him to get up. "This should make for some interesting research, how does the physiology of a spider handle foreign toxins? I'm quite aware of that miraculous healing factor of yours; your body is in a constant state of repair. Heh… I wonder if you can even get drunk," Orochimaru observed, gazing down at the child as he lied there.

Prone, face down in the dirt like a dying animal. "You did well, boy. It's almost admirable, just how valiant you were. I came here today in search of one candidate and it seems I'm leaving having found two, I suppose it's my lucky day." He planted his sandal clad foot on the boy, turning him over with minimum effort.

His chest was heaving, his heartrate most likely speeding up to ridiculous levels. His body, even with his superhuman immune system, was struggling to deal with the obnoxious amount of poison infecting him. Orochimaru was so taken by the child lying at his feet, twitching and writhing as he struggled to cling to life, that he failed to anticipate the handful of senbon needles headed his way.

They hit their mark, riddling his chest and forcing him to take a step back and away from Pītā. "Get away from him!" Orochimaru heard a voice as he winced, raising his gaze to find Anko charging at him.

She was on her last legs, sweat coating her skin to give it a healthy bronze sheen. But Orochimaru was impressed; he assumed he'd lost her when he and the boy tumbled through the forest. Then again, she was an expert tracker and it didn't take a genius to follow the path of wonton destruction they'd left behind.

He stopped her in her tracks for the umpteenth time that day, once again using his ace in the hole. "Be silent, Anko. My business is with the boy and him alone," he told her sternly, activating her Heaven's Curse Mark.

Anko almost dropped to her knees as she caught herself, screaming out in unbridled agony as the black mark on her neck set her skin ablaze. She was ready to collapse; she'd been barely keeping up with her dancing partner when the superhuman soldier lying on the ground had crashed into things. The thought of Pītā allowed the woman to open her pale brown eyes, shining with pain and anguish as they welled up and tears threatened to burst.

Pītā was just lying there, staring up at the dense trees overhead, just trying to make sense of things after he'd given his all. Anko didn't have superhuman abilities; she couldn't sense danger or hear things no regular person could. But at that particular moment, being pushed to the edge as her former teacher tortured her, poked and prodded at her body, her very soul… Anko could've sworn that she heard Pītā's heartbeat. At first it was fast, unimaginably fast, almost too fast for her to distinguish and separate individual beats.

But then it slowed, the rising and falling motion of his chest growing fewer and farther between. "No," Anko whispered into the forest air, he was dying and there wasn't a damn thing she could've done to stop it.

The woman slammed those glistening eyes of hers shut, gritting her teeth as she refused to accept the harsh reality of the situation. "No!" She called out, urging a roll of the eyes out of her former sensei.

He'd never pegged her for being so dramatic, and he was about to lecture her on such hysterics. He would have, had she not wrestled her pain into submission and bolted right for him. The woman was nowhere near as fast as him, could never hope to have been either. Orochimaru could've side-stepped the attack, dodged it with frightening ease such were his abilities. He could have, but he didn't.

The Shinin was simply too stunned, for what must have been the umpteenth time that day. The Heaven's Curse Mark was under his complete control, its owner vulnerable for Orochimaru to shape and form to his heart's desire. Anko was throwing all of that certainty and security in his face as she tackled him to the ground, forcing him to lie down in the dirt of the forest, hard.

A few feet away from where Pītā was struggling to breathe, Anko started to hammer away at the confused man. "I'll die before I let you taint another student!" She cried out, slamming her fists into his pale face over and over again.

She did it so many times, struck him with such ferociousness that it put wild animals to shame, the skin of her knuckles began to wear and tear, peeling away to let blood flow freely. Her face was glistening, even under the dimness of twilight, she was dripping with sweat. So much effort, it was a shame it all proved for naught.

Orochimaru came to his senses eventually, suffering a brutal beating for what felt like days in his dazed state. He caught a slow and laboured fist, wet and slick with the blood of the woman and didn't hesitate to hit her back. He floored her instantly, one blow dismantling her exhausted state as her lip burst. Anko lay there for a moment, breathing hard and heavy as Orochimaru diligently rose to his feet.

Anko cursed, spitting a wad of blood as she gazed up at the Shinobi. "You really do have a death wish, don't you?" Orochimaru queried, returning the gaze, though with not even half of the intense hatred she held.

She nodded, rolling off of her arm and onto her back, propping herself up with her elbows. "And you still look like a damn girl," Anko grinned, her pearly white teeth stained red, as if daring him to attack her once more.

Orochimaru didn't disappoint, stamping down hard on the woman's face. It wasn't hard enough to split her skull like a watermelon, because he was certainly capable of that, but it did serve to bust her nose. More blood diluted her complexion, bleeding into the fair skin of her face and knocking the fight right out of her.

"Hit… like one too," though she still retained that abrasive attitude of hers, proving that she was one of the only people that could get underneath the man's skin.

His calm and menacing demeanour did nothing to scare her, one of the many negatives of teaching her at such a young age. "You know how to test my patience, girl… I've give you that." He was about to strike her again, deliver a knockout blow and wipe that smug smile off of her face.

But something grabbed his ankle, a weak and shaking grip just barely strong enough to gain the man's attention. Orochimaru curiously gazed down through the gap between his arm and his torso, finding a prone Pītā Pākā, having somehow crawled his way over to him, through rich dirt and fallen leaves. The man's golden eyes widened a fraction, his eyebrows arching as his expectations kept being blown right out of the water.

The child was lay there, tugging at his dark green pant leg. It was enough to draw the man's attention away from a severely injured Anko, but the strained act didn't achieve much else. There wasn't anything Pītā could've done; he'd barely managed to drag his way over to the fighting pair, using every ounce of unnatural strength his body possessed. But it made Orochimaru forget about Anko for the time being, and that was all that mattered.

She couldn't take the punishment, not like he could.

The missing-nin wasted no time in turning around to hoist the lad into the air, holding him by the front of his ragged and torn flak jacket. "You continue to astound me, boy. With that much poison flowing through your veins, I expected you to have slipped off this mortal coil by now. But here you are, still trying to protect her no less." He observed, that fraction of admiration in his eyes growing by the second.

Pītā couldn't respond as he hung there limply, his arms slack by his side and head tilted slightly like a lifeless doll. Orochimaru was rather surprised at first, just how light he was. He shook his head, of course he was light, he was a twelve year old Genin after all. But the way he threw around so much weight, so much power, it had momentarily caught him off-guard. The boy couldn't have weighed more than ninety pounds soaking wet, grossly betraying his monstrous strength.

Anko watched her former teacher indulge in his newfound interest, having been beaten and quickly discarded like an unwanted stray. "I'm going to gift you with something, something I think you've more than proven to be worthy of. I won't lie, it's going to hurt but the outcome will allow you a mere taste of the power I possess." Orochimaru felt the need to explain to Pītā what was going to happen to him, though he wasn't sure why.

The boy appeared completely out of it, his eyes glazed over and breathing slow and laboured. "The poison coursing through your veins might yet still kill you, it might not. Think of it as one final test, the result of which has yet to be determined. Personally, I hope you do survive. It'd be a terrible waste of a curse mark otherwise," a subtle, devious grin split his face as Anko's heart leapt into her throat.

She couldn't move, and so could only look on in horror as Orochimaru sank his fangs deep into Pītā's neck. His canines, less dog-like and more snake-like in nature, easily broke through the thin dark blue fabric of the mask covering his jaw and neck, penetrating his skin like a hot poker. The boy twitched and writhed, but could not scream, he simply didn't possess the effort to scream.

Orochimaru worked his particular brand of magic, Chakra travelling through the bite and into Pītā's skin, slowly forming the three-tomoe marking of the Heaven's Curse Mark. Things were going rather swimmingly for the man, though he didn't notice Pītā's eyes snap wide open and suddenly morph in their unusual colour. The soft brown was replaced by red and blue, a vibrant and burning intensity in one eye and an ice cold storm in the other.

When he realized that something had gone askew, it was far too late. Red and blue Chakra began to seep out of the wound on Pītā's neck, forcing Orochimaru away quite violently. He flailed in mid-air, crashing through a gathering of bushes and thickets as Pītā dropped to the dirt ground like dead weight. Anko froze in place, mouth ajar and light brown eyes like saucers as she witnessed the entire event play out.

Orochimaru rose to his feet, a shaking hand covering his burning mouth. "What… but how?" He murmured, a very clearly disturbed expression forcing its way onto his face.

He gave one last look at the scene, his golden eyes darting over to a recovering Anko, before he ultimately decided to depart. He'd spent enough time duking it out with his former student and the spider-heir, as much as he wanted to stay for answers, he simply couldn't. Orochimaru hadn't finished completely applying the curse mark when something reacted to the overabundance of Chakra he was forcing into Pītā's system, he had no clue what and that was something he did not like.

The day was drawing to a close, night was upon them and although questions filled his mind, he had successfully marked the Uchiha boy. However, unbeknownst to Orochimaru, he'd also left the fight with an unsuspecting souvenir. He was caked in blood, specifically that of Pītā Pākā.

As her old teacher swiftly and strangely exited the scene, Anko just barely managed to crawl her way over to the unmoving boy, lay with his eyes shut in the middle of the Forest of Death. Her first instinct was to check on the curse mark, evaluate just what had been done to the kid. Anko saw the fang marks in the neck of his mask, but it wasn't enough. She didn't care that he elected to hide his face for some ridiculous reason, just like Kakashi.

The woman gently removed the fabric, her eyes ignoring the face she didn't know and immediately zoning in on the boy's neck. Her breath hitched in her throat for a solid moment, she'd been fully expecting to find the hideous black mark that plagued her on his skin. Shock filled Anko, for the only thing that tainted Pītā were the small protrusions of Orochimaru's fangs.

"No curse mark… how is there no curse mark? How did you… how the hell?!" She felt herself getting worked up, so many questions cluttering her mind and threatening to fill the air.

She would've sat there in stunned silence for longer, the cogs of her mind trying to work through things, had she not noticed something of vital importance. Pītā wasn't breathing, hadn't been for a solid minute. Anko immediately snapped out of her stupor, her hands touching his face and feeling around his jaw to check for a pulse, just to be thorough. Her fears were confirmed when she found none, her fingers unable to feel the rhythmic sensation of life pumping through a person's body.

"Come on, kid… don't even think about doing this to me." Anko muttered, getting to work as she haphazardly gripped Pītā's wrecked flak jacket and tore it off of him.

She threw it aside before placing both of her hands on his chest, lessons she'd learned a long time ago of basic first aid coming back to her. Anko pumped as hard as she could, she didn't have to be gentle, she knew full well the boy could take it. Time passed, seconds that felt like hours and minutes that felt like days. Still no movement, still no pulse.

Anko alternated, leaning down to perform mouth to mouth and fill his lungs with her own recycled air. "You're not dying here, Pākā. You're gonna get your ass up right now or so help me God, I'll kill you myself." She pumped his chest, pressed her lips against his and blew as much as she could manage, repeating the process over and over again.

The woman stopped, frustration filling her as she looked down at the lifeless lad, her eyes wide as the reality of the situation began to set in. She'd lost him; he was just some random kid with a sense of humour that had decided to stick his nose into her business. But sorrow filled every fibre of her being, he was just so young. It hit harder because he was one of her own, a fellow Leaf ninja, a brother-in-arms.

He was one of Kakashi's kids and she'd lost him, she'd gotten him killed. "No… no, no, no! You don't get to check out after all of that! You're not putting this on my conscience, I refuse to explain to your teacher that you died defending me! You stupid kid! I won't do it! Now get up!" Anko threw her trench coat off her shoulders, just allowing better room for movement as she raised both of her fists high.

She didn't hesitate, gritting her teeth and bringing both balled up fists down as hard as she could. It was astonishing, how much it hurt simply hitting the boy. It was like punching concrete, solid and completely unyielding. Anko almost fell back in surprise when Pītā took a sharp intake of oxygen, his chocolate brown eyes snapping open, frantic and panicked.

Anko did the first thing that came to mind, as if it were an innate instinct on her part. "Don't you ever—ever—do that to me again," she took his gloved hand in her own and held it, squeezing tightly to make sure that he was squeezing back.

It set the child at ease, calming him and his suddenly erratic heartrate down as he lay there, breathing easy. "I've got you… I've got you," Anko assured, she simply couldn't help it as a grin cracked its way onto her sweat-drenched face.

Pītā didn't respond, didn't notice that he wasn't wearing his mask anymore. Instead, he simply squeezed her hand all the harder and let his head lull back, devoid of strength and the will to stay awake.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** And there it is, this whole Forest of Death is really dragging on, huh? I'm sorry, originally I wanted to keep it all contained to one chapter but as I neared the actual part in the story, I realized just how much really happens in the Forest of Death. Plus, I expanded upon a lot of stuff that didn't happen in canon.

Anko's longer fight with Orochimaru came about in my desire to explore the connection between her and her former sensei, something that kind of got the shaft in canon. She's a broken woman and really fun to write, especially when playing off of Pītā. Her own summons, Tsuki, is an entirely original character created by **Deadpoolsson** , he was courteous enough to let me use her and really give the fight between Anko and Orochimaru some meat.

Pītā's brawl with Orochimaru was inevitable, it was only logical that he'd have some form of interest in Pītā and I wanted to really throw the two together just to see what would happen.

Sakura's little tidbit was some room to breathe, this chapter really needed it. Any opportunity that comes up to improve Sakura as a character as canon Sakura is sorely lacking, I will take it as I adore the character despite her shortcomings. She had a small but important part to play in this chapter, but next chapter she will get a much larger role with her own hardships to face.

I hope you guys enjoyed things, I know I did. Thanks for reading!

 **Guest Reviews:**

 **Aztec 13:** I'm glad, because the raw brutality of the fight was something I was really trying to capture. The Sinister Six is definitely something that has crossed my mind, and seeing as how four Spidey rogues have been introduced, I don't see why it can't be done. Thanks!

 **Bael92:** I really like the idea of Pītā summoning spiders too, they will all have their own unique personalities and traits, and their own dynamics with Pītā. At the moment, I don't have any plans to reupoload those Spidey/Young Justice crossovers, sorry. Thanks for the review!

 **atom king:** It's certainly an idea, but I'm not planning on including the movies in this story. If any Marvel characters appear, they'll most likely just be cameos or one-off adventures. Thanks!

 **Guest1:** Hope you liked it!

 **Guest2:** Pītā will certainly have a dark side, there's no such thing as an entirely pure being. And when Pītā's dark side does surface, which won't happen until he's older and more experienced and powerful, it'll reflect some of the emotions he represses simply because he's a good person. It will be Venom, Carnage won't be appearing in this story. Thanks!

 **DocKucCRO:** I'm glad I can make things believable for Pītā in this world, I don't plan on killing Scorpion any time soon but sooner or later, Pītā might get his hands bloody. As for Sage Mode, Pītā will have something similar when he's older but it'll be his own unique thing and related to his spider-powers, specifically the spider-sense. Thanks!

 **Guest3:** That it does, glad someone took the time to research it. Kudos!

 **coldblue:** 1) Mikio, Kuentin and Saidai will definitely have their own agenda post-exams. Whether that brings them into league with Orochimaru or they go their separate ways has yet to be seen, but anything could happen at this point.

2) Pītā will definitely encounter the trio again, the next time he sees them will be during the preliminary fights where he will face one of them again. I won't say who, but they didn't get much of a chance to show what they were really capable of last chapter.

3) That was a key moment for Pītā, I ceased the opportunity to very clearly distance this incarnation of Spider-Man to the mainstream one. Clearly, if he's in a tough spot, this Pītā is willing to do almost anything to survive. This time he stopped short of killing, but in the future, he may not have that luxury.

4) Pītā will definitely have some beef with Dosu's team, but he won't fully get into it with them until the invasion. I don't want to spoil anything, but it's almost uncanny how alike Dosu is to Shocker, eh?

As for first stage curse mark Sasuke, I don't at all think that he'd be a problem for Pītā. While his speed and strength are enhanced, Sasuke clearly struggled breaking Zaku's arms in canon, while Pītā wouldn't have any trouble ripping a kid in half like a phonebook. Sasuke will need much more than a tattoo to match Pītā's strength, remember that twelve year old Pītā is about as strong if not stronger than mainstream experienced Pītā due to growing up with his powers.

5) As you read this chapter, Pītā is an extremely fast healer. If the injury is not potentially fatal, it'll only take hours at most for him to heal from injuries that other ninja would heal from in days/weeks. Pītā's essentially a super soldier, his body is in a constant state of repair and renewal. Naruto's healing factor is strengthened to superhuman levels by the Nine-Tails Chakra, no Nine-Tails Chakra and his healing factor wouldn't compare to Pītā's.

6) No, I haven't. That's not to say I won't ever, but right now, I'm focusing on things that I can write well. And Spider-Man is one of those things. Thanks for the extensive review and awesome questions!


	12. Stand Offs

**Author's Note:** We're back at it again with Spider-Clan, currently my favorite project to be working on. It's certainly a tough job, especially fleshing things out in this story and trying to differentiate it from canon whilst also staying fairly faithful. Just to let you guys know ahead of time, this update was supposed to be the last update in the Forest of Death sub-arc if you want to call it that. But the content ended up being too large to fit into one chapter, I didn't want to give anyone a case of information overload and by splitting it into two, I can let things breathe much more naturally.

So, this chapter's very talky. There's a lot of conversation, discussion, character interaction. Not much in the way of fighting and the only character who experiences that is Sakura, this chapter and some of the next is where she shines the most. Anyway, I don't want to bore you guys, so I hope you enjoy the chapter.

 **Disclaimer:** Spider-Man and all related characters are owned by Marvel and in turn, Disney. Naruto and all related characters are owned by Masashi Kishimoto, I own nothing.

* * *

 **Stand Offs (Chūnin Exams Arc)**

The air was brisk as early morning broke over the 44th Battle Training Zone, unofficially known as the Forest of Death due to its lethal nature. Genin from all four corners of the world had journeyed to Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves, to participate in the competition known as the Chūnin Exams. A series of tests, not always on paper, designed to push young ninja to their limits in the hopes that they could be promoted.

Obviously, this wasn't to be taken lightly. It was not a test for pushovers, not a test for slackers. It was meant to bring out the best in each of its participants, their teamwork, their strategy, their will to survive. Given the forest's many dangers, it didn't take long to sift through the many examinees and determine which were the strongest, which deserved to proceed onward and potentially become Chūnin.

Case in point, a kid that could hold his own against one of the legendary Shinin. Anko Mitarashi wasn't sure; she was just spit-balling. The purple haired woman side-eyed the kid in question, still unconscious and drenched in his own sweat as he lay beside her, propped against the solid aid of one of the many impossibly gigantic trees around them. The Tokubetsu-Jōnin, the designated proctor for the second phase of the exams, had kept vigil watch over him all throughout the night.

He'd been poisoned, quite severely too. Anko didn't know much about the way the body worked, she wasn't a medical-nin and only had basic knowledge and training in the field of first aid. But she knew about snakes, oh man, did she know about snakes. They were among the most venomous creatures on the planet, right up there with certain spiders, ironically enough.

Anko had watched him sweat through the venom in his bloodstream, his skin growing paler yet rising in temperature. It had gotten to the point where she'd had to strip him of his clothes, leaving him lying there in his underwear. His skin was unnaturally hot, almost as hot as a furnace. He'd been burning up, even in the bitter cold of stark black night.

She shook her head with a wistful smile as she noticed him stir slightly, groaning a little with each laboured movement he made. "Rise and shine, kiddo." Anko shortly spoke, patting his bare shoulder before wiping her sweat covered hand on her short orange mini-skirt.

"Ugh… how long was I out?" Pītā Pākā, the last living spider-heir, queried as he held his face in one hand and supported himself with the other.

His shoulder throbbed with every breath he took in, a dull ache reaching up his neck and serving as a reminder of the events that had transpired. "Long enough to get a good night's sleep and believe me; you look like you needed it." Anko answered honestly, her voice devoid of her trademark sass for the moment.

Because she was telling the truth, the kid had looked like crap and that was before he'd even gone several rounds with Orochimaru. "Yeah, felt like it too." The brunette replied with a slight smile, glancing up and around at his surroundings for the first time.

Light immediately bombarded his senses, momentarily blinding him. "Little sensitive there, huh?" Anko posed a question but she was really pointing out the obvious, watching as the lad shielded his eyes for a few seconds.

Pītā let his sight adjust to the bright colours filling his field of vision, vibrant and lush greens painting a picture of a very healthy forest. "It's this whole other thing," he murmured, letting his eyes settle on his elder for a moment.

She was crouched in front of him, missing her tan trench coat and wearing nothing but a rather revealing mesh-shirt. "You know, I don't say this often because… well, this world's full of wusses but… you're a tough little guy, I'll give you that." Anko admitted, watching as the boy immediately averted his eyes elsewhere.

Pītā's cheeks heated up slightly, though he couldn't feel it due to his fever still clinging onto him. "I thought I was gonna die," he too experienced a small moment of honesty, as the thought had crossed his mind many times during his fight with the Shinin.

Anko clicked her tongue, her purple eyebrows flicking up briefly before settling back down. "You and me both," she also recounted the very recent possibility of her former sensei killing her, which could've very easily have happened if it hadn't have been for her companion.

Pītā risked another look at her face, arching an eyebrow as a question laced his lips. "So… I'm still a little unclear on a few things; you said Rochi used to be your teacher?" Thoughts of the pale faced ninja have given way to curiosity, the boy was eager to know the story there.

Anko nodded without hesitation, he'd been through enough with her to deserve to know. "Pretty much," she answered, letting herself fall backwards and out of her crouch.

Pītā continued to prop himself up with an arm as Anko's backside hit the dirt ground; she crossed her long legs and sat opposite him. "Sucks," he also responded shortly, he wasn't really sure what else he could've said.

Anko let a laugh escape her lips, he wasn't wrong. "Big time," she related, it was easy to laugh about something that had happened years ago.

Years before the boy in front of her had been born, before he'd even been a sparkle in his parents' eyes. "Did he say anything? Anything important? What's his M.O? Why's he here?" Pītā pestered the tired woman with a barrage of questions, catching her off-guard.

Anko held her hands up and shut her eyes, smiling as the child's hunger for knowledge resurfaced. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, junior. One thing at a time, okay? Do you even remember what happened?" She countered his queries with one of her own, giving Pītā time to pause.

He contemplated the question with a furrowed brow, before his free hand slowly rose to instinctively rub his neck. "He… tried to do something to me but I don't remember what, I was pretty out of it by the end of our little hoedown." The brunette recalled, though details were a little vague as he'd been poisoned.

Anko cast her gaze off and away from the Genin, a frown lining her lips. "Yeah, you're not the only one. Orochimaru mentioned he'd done it to someone else, the Uchiha kid." She informed him, earning a look of surprise and concern in return.

"Sasuke? Oh, that's bad. I should try and find him, see if he's okay." Pītā suggested, though a quick subtle buzz of his spider-sense reminded him of his missing teammates.

He was about to climb to his bizarrely bare feet when Anko drew his attention, stopping him in his slow and steady tracks. "That's the bad news, there's a pretty good chance he's already dead. Subjects—that's what we were to him—have a one in ten chance of surviving… I should know, I'm one of 'em." Anko revealed, stunning Pītā as she craned her head and showed her neck to him.

Pītā's excellent eye sight zoned in on the black mark on her smooth neck, but he still felt the need to crawl over to her on all fours. "That is one seriously messed up hickey," he muttered, though Anko gave a quiet chuckle as his voice entered her ear.

She involuntarily flinched as small yet rough digits glided across the skin of her neck, feeling out the three black teardrop shapes that plagued her. "Heaven's Curse Mark, it's supposed to increase Chakra levels and physical capabilities. If you give in and decide to use it anyway," Anko explained as Pītā continued to study the unique marking, clearly foreign but part of her skin in a similar vein to a tattoo.

A metaphorical lightbulb went off over Pītā's head as images of a struggling, clearly injured Anko entered his mind. "During the fight, you kept holding your neck; it was the mark torturing you. He did this to you?" The boy posed, as if he was trying to wrap his head around such a cruel act.

It was kind of sweet, how naïve and innocent he was. "Right when I was around your age," Anko responded, harkening back to days when she was still pure and untainted.

She felt his hands leave her neck and watched as he too set himself down, crossing his legs and sitting in front of her. "He used your trust to further his own agenda, whatever that was." Pītā speculated, earning a slow nod in return.

Orochimaru was right, the kid was pretty sharp. "Bingo, sport." She agreed, noticing him shift uncomfortably.

"Okay… I have two questions," Pītā fixed his chocolate coloured eyes back on her, placing the palms of his hands together.

Anko placed her own hands on her knees, showing a little bit of her teeth as she smiled. "Shoot," she shot back, surprisingly enjoying the little scamp's company.

Pītā nodded his head, trying to gather his thoughts as he opened his mouth. "Where are my clothes and why can I taste dango?" The boy rattled off, the very clear sweetness of the dish present in his mouth for some reason.

Anko paled slightly, giving the kid mouth to mouth had actually slipped her mind. "Your gear's over there, as for the dango… couldn't tell ya." She lied as she pointed to the boy's folded up clothes, neatly sat on a moss covered rock; she didn't think why the taste of her favourite food was in his mouth was worth mentioning.

The brunette stared at her for a solid few seconds before shrugging, though he really couldn't remember the last time he'd visited the Dango Shop. In one quick and rapid movement, the pre-teen spider hopped to his feet, startling the woman in front of him. He was about to push on, ignoring the dull ache pulsing throughout his entire body. He would have, had his knees suddenly not buckled. In a turn of events, contrasting the fight they'd partaken in the previous day, it was Anko's turn to support Pītā.

She arched an eyebrow and smirked, halfway to her feet when he'd collapsed onto her. "You sure you're up for that, soldier?" The tracker-nin mocked, urging a shaky smile out of her comrade.

Pītā distanced himself, gently pushing Anko's lingering hand away from him as his vision danced between razor sharp clarity and blurred shapes. "I've got somewhere to be, need to find my team. I promised them I wouldn't let them down, I feel like that's all I've been doing lately. Besides, I have our scrolls and they can't finish this part of the exams without them." He explained whilst willing himself to stand, his muscles still ached despite the rest they had gotten.

An entire day of constant use had wiped him out; even twelve hours of sleep hadn't completely reset his physical condition. "Wait, you already have both scrolls?" Anko questioned, her mouth slightly ajar as Pītā slowly made his way over to his discarded clothes.

The first piece of gear he put on were his dark blue pants, torn and dirtied in some places but still resembling pants. "Oh… yeah, I do. These guys jumped me; I took care of it… barely." Pītā whispered that last part as his thoughts briefly drifted to Kuentin's team of Suna ninja, though the image of the green-clad Mikio stood out the most.

The boy shook his head, pulling his dark blue undershirt over his head and adjusting it accordingly. "Well… good hustle, short stuff." Anko teased, though was honestly impressed he'd managed to do so much in such a short amount of time.

The second day of a five day time limit had only just started, students had completed the second phase of the exams faster but considering the obstacles he'd tackled, it astonished her how he was able to stand and talk let alone continue with the exams. She picked up her trench coat—she'd thrown it off of her when giving Pītā first aid—and carefully put it on, her movements were slightly laboured as she did not have a superhuman regenerative healing factor.

Which must have come in handy, admittedly.

After sliding her slender arms into the sleeves of her coat, Anko turned and watched as Pītā zipped up his wrecked red flak jacket. "That thing's barely holding itself together, why bother?" She queried, approaching the boy as he side-eyed her.

"My aunt made it for me; she'd kill me if I just left it here." Pītā gave his answer, checking that the makeshift water grenades he'd had on him were still in the compartments of the jacket.

Anko nodded, it was good enough for her. What wasn't good enough for her was what had happened to the lad before her, the curse mark he'd been branded with that simply… wasn't there. The purple haired proctor saw that Pītā was about to pull his mask over his jaw, once again hiding the lower half of his face for some reason unknown to her.

Her voice caught him off-guard; it wasn't the usual smooth slick tone she appropriated. "Pākā?" Anko spoke his last name, a habit she probably wouldn't ever be able to drop.

The Genin lowered his mask for a moment, noticing how honest and if anything, strangely desperate her voice sounded. "Something wrong, Proctor-Anko?" He posed, confusion fraught on those boyish features of his.

Anko regarded him for a moment; she knew the answer she was going to get. "Orochimaru, he… he marked you, I saw it. He sunk those fangs of his right into your neck, yet you don't have a curse mark. Can you tell me why?" She asked anyway, clearly craving an explanation for the otherwise impossible.

Pītā's brown eyes wandered for a moment, flickering away from the woman's piercing gaze as he too thought about the unusual situation he found himself in. "I don't know," was all he could say, his mind completely devoid of an explanation or even a theory for the first time in his short life.

Anko nodded, she wasn't satisfied. "Okay, that's… okay." She murmured, she could tell that he was being entirely honest.

She'd spent enough time around him to know what kind of a kid he was; he was the kind of kid that didn't even know how to tell a lie. "I'm sorry I can't do more," he was also the kind of kid that felt the need to apologize for something he had no control over, likely felt responsible for anything that even remotely involved him.

Anko rolled her eyes, playfully punching his arm. "You've done enough, okay? We'll figure it out some other time, no worries. Now, those little pals of yours are probably worried sick about you. Go on, get out of here. You still need to make it to the tower at the centre of the forest with both Heaven and Earth scrolls in order to officially pass the second phase of the Chūnin Exams, can you remember all that?" She reminded him, watching him pull his mask over his jaw and resting the fabric on the bridge of his nose.

Pītā nodded, before throwing up a mock salute at the woman. "Find friends, don't lose scrolls, head to big tower, got it. Are you gonna be okay on your own?" He posed, a faint trace of concern edging his voice.

Anko placed her fists on her hips and glared at him, a little flustered that he'd even bother with such a thing. "Uhh… right, forget I asked." Pītā backed away, his hands held up in defence.

The young Shinobi left without another word, possessing enough energy and effort to leap high into the air and fire off a web-line. "Good luck, kid." Anko let her light brown eyes linger on the shrinking form of her temporary partner-in-crime before she set off; she had some important matters to attend to herself.

First thing was first though; after finding her way in, Anko needed to find her way to the tower at the centre of the Forest of Death. The alarm was supposed to be sounded at the first sign of Orochimaru, the Hokage had to be notified and she intended to do just that. The Shinin was far too powerful for her to defeat alone, even the addition of a spider's helping hand hadn't done much good. She needed to bring the matter to the attention of the most powerful ninja in the Hidden Leaf Village who coincidentally, just so happened to also be the former sensei of Orochimaru.

That seemed to have been a common theme lately…

* * *

For such a humid, clammy atmosphere at night, the forest was surprisingly cold under the soft blue sky of morning. Wildlife, mostly the prey as the predators often hunted at night, shook themselves out of their dormant stupor and scurried out into the lush green of their little world. Rabbits hopped, squirrels darted and birds fluttered, all the while most of the visitors of the forest still slumbered soundly.

Genin, children that had entered mortal peril of their own free will in order to prove their worth to themselves, their peers, their sensei and their village. One such student was half and half, her emerald green eyes struggling to stay open as exhaustion and fatigue consumed every bone and muscle in her small, petit body. The girl, with her pretty though slightly dirtied long pink hair, had spent the best part of the previous day and the entire night watching over her unconscious friends.

Sakura Haruno, a quarter of the team known as Team 7, felt her head constantly give and wilt under the influence of the sandman. She wanted so desperately to sleep, the dark patches of skin nestled beneath her eyes a testament to that, but she just couldn't bring herself to completely let it happen. Her teammate, Naruto Uzumaki and three of her fellow Leaf Genin, Sasuke Uchiha, Sai Toriyama and Yakumo Kurama, lay still under her watchful yet faltering eye and the cool shade of a towering tree.

While isolated and alone, Sakura's thoughts had gotten the best of her and ran wild. When she wasn't thinking about her soft warm bed back at home, she was forcing herself into a corner of paranoia as she had begun to increasingly suspect that someone or something was watching her. It didn't feel like a bear or a tiger, some of the many alpha predators that roamed the vibrant woods. As terrifying as they were, they were still animals and would've struck already.

No, human beings spied on their targets for hours on end and the feeling was completely different to being stalked by a wild, ferocious beast. There was no panic, but Sakura felt anxiousness in spades. Her little heart was thumping against her sweat covered chest faster than usual, but not out of fear, more so anticipation. Sakura, even despite how tired she was, knew something was coming.

The only mystery to her was… just who was it?

Her thoughts immediately drifted to Orochimaru, the man that had branded Sasuke with that weird, dark mark. Maybe he'd come to finish the job, just outright kill Sasuke right in front of her and then dispose of the rest of them too. But Sakura felt like he would've done so already if he was going to, so instead her stray musings circled around another theory.

Orochimaru had mentioned that he was going to be sending someone after Sasuke, perhaps underlings of some kind. Thug ninja to finish the job and get their hands dirty, which again didn't ring true. Orochimaru certainly had no qualms about doing things himself, he was certainly capable of fighting and beating Sasuke single handed. So… why would he send someone after him?

Yet another thing Sakura didn't understand, just adding to the growing pile of other things that confused her adolescent mind. It was good though, trying to work her way through things, it was at least serving to keep her awake and moderately alert. But even then, Sakura knew that sooner or later, she was just going to collapse out of pure exhaustion. She wasn't superhuman like Pītā, she didn't have the limitless energy of Naruto, she was just… normal.

She used to think that that was a good thing and being different was the bad thing, but her teammates broke the mould and she found herself wanting to do the same. All she needed was a chance, a chance to prove herself their equal. But that chance never came as Pītā and Naruto were always doing the hard work, always doing the saving.

Well, now that she was all by herself, Sakura might've been given that chance… whether she wanted it or not.

"Why don't you just give in to temptation and shut those weary eyes? It'd make things so much easier," a calm yet chilling voice entered Sakura's ears, immediately causing her body to tense up and her eyes to widen.

Unfortunately for her, her suspicions had proved true. "But a lot less fun," another voice mingled with the first, less eloquent and calculated, more brash and obnoxious.

Both of them belonged to males, ninja that the girl instantly recognized upon turning around in her alcove beneath the large tree. "You—you're the ninja from the Sound Village, the same ones that attacked Kabuto." Sakura pointed out, recalling that tense confrontation between Shinobi that were her senior.

Shinobi that were her elders, ninja that were supposed to provide a decent example of what to do and what not to do, not pick a fight with everyone and anyone that happened to look at them the wrong way. Sakura didn't need to personally know these Oto ninja to know what kind of people they were, two vicious looking boys and a particularly scary looking girl.

The one covered in bandages, Dosu Kinuta was his name, once again addressed the young lonely Kunoichi. "He was practically begging for it, can you really blame us?" He cheekily replied, his subtle voice slightly muffled by the mass of bandage covering his mouth.

Sakura didn't engage his idle banter like Pītā would've done, she wasn't about to get all pally with the enemy. "What do you want?" She simply questioned, an ever so slight break in her voice that she tried to force down her throat.

She had no backup, the last thing she needed was to appear weak. "Sasuke," Dosu didn't beat around the bush either, he cared not for the girl and had his beady black pupils locked on the slumbering form of the Uchiha heir, lying in the stark shadows beneath the sheltering tree with several others.

Sakura's hand subconsciously drifted closer and closer to her kunai holster strapped to her thigh, her entire limb twitching with fatigue. "You can't have him," she forced out through gritted pearly whites, defiant in her tone and ushering a look of surprise from the bandaged Sound-nin.

The second boy, standing upright with his arms folded and possessing wild hair like Pītā, scoffed. "That's bold coming from a girl playing second rate ninja, almost sounded like a threat." The insinuation was there clear as day, he just wanted an excuse to engage her physically and most likely kill her.

His name was Zaku Abumi and he considered himself the strongest member of their little team, though Sakura had no clue whether that was true or not. "Don't be so quick to anger, Zaku. She's merely protecting her boyfriend, isn't that right?" Judging by the way Dosu's calm and levelled words halted the boy in his footsteps; she guessed that he was the one actually in charge.

Sakura frowned bitterly at the mention of the word 'boyfriend', months ago it would've sounded flattering being referred to as such but truth be told, it just sounded insulting. "Sasuke is not my boyfriend," she spoke simple and honest fact, the raven haired child she'd been guarding was not her boyfriend.

But he was her friend, whether he acknowledged that or not and Sakura was not going to hand him over to a group of hostile strangers. "Who is? The little blonde brat? Or the mouthy one, the brunette?" Finally, the only female member of the trio deemed it necessary to open her mouth.

Kin Tsuchi's words were spoken in a childish manner, clearly meant to belittle Sakura because of her younger age. "Speaking of the brunette, why isn't he with you? Where is he?" Dosu cut into things before Sakura replied, his interest peaking at the mention of the pink haired girl's missing teammate.

But Sakura recognized more than interest in his voice, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. "He's close," she told him, a smug smile stretching onto her lips as she caught the distinct sound of concern and trepidation in his voice.

All three Sound Genin took a measured step back, cautiously taking in their surroundings and directing their wandering eyes to the many trees around them. Sakura watched them for a moment, how careful they were being, it was only natural for a ninja to be prepared for anything. But as Zaku and Kin continued to survey the area, Dosu's cold eyes once again fell on the ragged form of the girl safely tucked away inside her little shelter.

"I don't believe you," he called her bluff, his tone carrying an edge to it that suggested confidence.

Sakura felt her little heart speed up inside her chest, pounding against her ribcage as she swallowed a lump in her throat. "You don't have to believe me, just believe that you won't know what hit you." She reinforced her little white lie, attempting to make her enemies uneasy.

It seemed to be working for the most part; Dosu was trying to look for even the tiniest hint of deceit in the features of the pink haired ninja. "She's lying, trying to stall for time." Zaku pitched in, hard and abrasive and full of cockiness.

Finally, Dosu nodded. "I agree, but he's still a legitimate concern." He evaluated, he hadn't seen much of the physical variety from the absent ninja but there was still doubt.

Kin picked up on her teammate's incredibly cautious attitude, placing a hand on her developing waist. "What's the big deal? We've fought far tougher ninja before; one kid is not going to be much of an issue… right?" A slight pause and honest query slipped past her lips, genuine doubt was being sown among them.

Dosu tilted his head, something his teammates were accustomed to while Sakura was not. "We've never fought a spider, Kin." He noted, urging a furrowed brown out of the dark haired girl as he pushed her into deep thought.

Zaku unceremoniously cracked his back, once again scoffing at the prospect of a kid being described as the bogeyman. "Don't buy into the hype; I wouldn't even care if he was here." He boasted, standing proud and full of himself.

Dosu listened but didn't pay him any mind; Kin on the other hand, rolled her eyes. "But he's not here, is he? Which begs the question, if you believe in him so much then why did he desert you? Why did he abandon you? Why did he leave you alone to care for your friends?" Instead, Dosu found that it was time to turn the tables.

He wanted to give the little girl a taste of her own medicine, play some mind games with her. "Some friend," Kin mocked, her long, silky black hair hanging low to the ground.

Sakura frowned, having registered his purposefully barbed words. "He'll be here," she chose to ignore them and remained steadfast in her belief, there was no way the boy she knew had abandoned her.

Not Pītā, never Pītā.

Dosu nodded, almost admiring the girl's resolve. "Pity, we might just have to shatter that belief. Nothing personal, of course, just part of the job. Now, wake Sasuke up." He requested, though with the sharp edge to his voice, it sounded more akin to an order.

Sakura answered, both physically and verbally. "No," she shut his request down, steadily climbing to her feet and leaving the sanctuary of the safe tree roots around her.

Flowing pink hair, shimmering emerald eyes and an adolescent face stared down the three visiting Sound ninja. She'd tried to buy some time, tried to stall them as long as she could with empty threats and idle talk but she was well and truly on her own. She had no idea where Pītā was, what he was doing, whether it was more important than helping his teammates but none of it mattered anymore.

Right then and there, Sakura had bigger things to worry about. "Funny… for a second, it sounded like you denied my request." Dosu responded with a cynical laugh, the noise once again being dampened by the bandages covering his mouth.

Kin, standing beside the hunched over unofficial leader of their team, smiled. "Looks like pinkie's grown a spine," she jabbed, eliciting a rather sour look out of the Leaf Genin.

She hated the nickname 'pinkie', she hated it when Pītā used it and she certainly hated it when a complete stranger used it. It wasn't funny, it wasn't even creative. But the way Kin had said it; it'd just been purely spiteful. And for what, Sakura wasn't sure. They'd never met one another before, only briefly before the first phase of the Chūnin Exams.

Sakura had no idea what the girl's problem was, but she did not like the way she was staring at her with hateful eyes and a smirk of ill-intent. "Okay, I'm done with all this talking. If it's okay with you guys, I'm just gonna go ahead and kill her." Zaku breezed by his teammates, his tone oddly nonchalant and casual considering what had just left his mouth.

He set his jaw as Dosu raised his gauntlet wielding arm, pressing it against his chest and halting him in his tracks. "You can't possibly want to spare her," Zaku deadpanned, they'd killed ninja for far less than mouthing off at them.

Dosu shook his head, having to tolerate his peer's dim-witted nature. "You really aren't the brightest star in the sky, are you?" He subtly mocked, earning a lost arch of an eyebrow in response.

The unofficial leader of the trio carefully and cautiously stepped forward, ahead of his companions and crouched low to the ground. He eyed it suspiciously, before flickering his eyes Sakura's way. She was sweating, watching his every calculated and measured move. She wanted to say something, he could tell. But she bit her tongue, anticipation riddling her small adolescent body.

Dosu spied a loose patch of green grass on the dirt ground, tracing it with his fingers whilst being careful not to trigger the trap that lay beneath. "A trap? She set a trap?" Zaku repeated the question as though he was having a hard time believing it; the dark haired lad honestly hadn't even noticed it.

Dosu rose out of his crouch, not quite to his full height as his back remained hunched over. "Yes, she set a trap. A rather poor one at that, still would've worked wonders on you. A word of advice, Zaku." He turned to his boisterous teammate, half-lidded and ready to lecture.

He would have, had Zaku not cut him off with a sharp, impatient tone. "Don't be so quick to anger, I get it." The Sound-nin replied, earning an apt nod from his 'superior'.

Kin had stayed silent as she watched the back and forth, she hadn't spotted the trap either but she wasn't as bloodthirsty as Zaku was. "So… now can we kill her?" Though, she was growing tired of idly standing around and arguing.

Dosu tilted his head towards their pink haired target several yards away, not unlike a curious pup trying to see around their muzzle. "I suppose so, yes." He finally gave the go ahead, eliciting a devious smirk from Zaku and a satisfied nod from Kin.

All three Sound ninja bolted, all three showcasing surprising speed as they sprinted at a stationary Sakura. Though, it was any wonder why she was smirking the way she was. Until they spotted the kunai knife in her hand, cutting a hidden line of strong wire. Wood creaked and groaned as Sakura sprang her back-up trap, torrents of shuriken being launched by hollowed out wooden logs.

They came at the Oto ninja from both right and left, firing from the treelines and forcing them to halt in their momentum. "Look out!" Kin screamed, feeling a shuriken slice by her shin.

She winced as she ducked, doing her best to stay low to the ground as Dosu attempted to weave his way by them. "A second trap! I should've known!" He chastised himself, raising his gauntlet wearing arm to deflect as many metal projectiles as he could.

Zaku clenched his jaw and bit back a howl of pain as cold steel sliced by his cheek, causing the temper within him to flare. "Slicing Sound Wave!" He yelled, cycling through a series of hand signs before throwing his palms up to either side of him.

The effects were instantaneous as streams of pressurized sound and air fired from the open tubes implanted into his palms, some kind of physical body modification meant to enhance his Chakra control of sound and air. The shuriken were immediately deflected, spinning and slicing back into the surrounding forest. The blast of air and sound ceased, leaving Dosu, Zaku and Kin to level glares Sakura's way.

Dosu cracked his neck, loosening up his shoulders as he grew a little more impatient. "So, you're sharper than we thought. Let's see if you can match your intelligence with skill," he wondered, before leading the charge against her once more.

He didn't need to give the go ahead, Zaku was practically seething and Kin was beginning to share in some of that hatred. Sakura's arm shook with fatigue as she raised a kunai, holding the hilt upside down and the blade towards the ground as she prepared to defend herself. Several thoughts raced through her mind as the enemy drew nearer and nearer, concerns and fears leaving her trembling.

Sakura's Taijutsu was nowhere near good enough to deal with three opponents at once, even despite some of the sparring sessions she'd shared with Pītā. Her Ninjutsu was nowhere near good enough to compete with Naruto's, which was something Sakura never thought she'd admit, admittedly. For whatever reason, she'd possessed the mind-set that she was a somewhat capable ninja.

But… thinking back, really giving it some thought, Sakura realized that she'd never actually done anything to prove it. She'd never had to put her money where her mouth was, she'd never had to get her hands dirty. Always stood on the side-lines, letting Pītā and Naruto do most of the work while she… what did she even do? Cheer them on like some disposable fangirl?

That was something Sakura did not want to be, oh no, she did not want to be considered a hindrance to her team. She did not want to be the only one that couldn't fight, that couldn't defend herself. With three against one, three particularly strong ninja she was guessing, it was by no means a fair fight. But the world was never fair, something she recalled Pītā telling both her and Naruto around a week ago.

She remembered Naruto whining as he crashed to the ground, tired and aching. "This isn't fair! You… you have powers! We don't!" He complained, becoming more and more agitated every time Pītā knocked him back to the ground.

She'd already given up at the point, no matter what she did; she just couldn't lay a finger on the lad in red and blue. "You're right, I do have the advantage. But so will a lot of other ninja in the world, nothing's ever fair." The brunette responded, his breathing calm and level, perfectly contrasting their erratic and quick intakes of oxygen.

Sakura hadn't paid his words any mind, not then at least. Now however, was a totally different story. The girl was starting to get a pretty serious picture of how unfair the world really was, how the odds had been stacked against her from the very beginning. Was she even cut out to be a Kunoichi? Or was it all simply a pipedream? How was she supposed to compete with ninja that could control soundwaves? How was she supposed to match Naruto's clones or Pītā's sheer physicality?

Sakura wasn't sure, but she'd never find out if she didn't at least try. "Come on," she whispered through gritted teeth, balling her free hand into an impossibly tight fist.

Suffice to say, Dosu, Zaku and Kin were all a little stunned when Sakura elected to sprint right at them. "Come on already!" She was tired of being afraid, tired of waiting for someone to come and save her.

She was going to die, that was the likeliest outcome to this little scenario. But she wanted to at least meet death with a brandished kunai and war cry on her lips, not cowering in the alcove of a tree and begging for mercy. Dosu was so stunned, so caught off-guard by this little cherry blossom blooming, that he barely had time to throw his gauntlet wielding arm up to guard against the downward slash of her blade.

Steel grazed Chakra enhanced metal, doing absolutely nothing to damage it. "I'm not afraid of you!" Sakura roared, spinning around and flinging the heel of her sandal directly into Dosu's open stomach.

The older boy backed off, the wind having been knocked right out of his lungs by the unexpected attack. "I—ack—I'd believe you... could I not hear your little heart… beating so fiercely against your chest," Dosu replied or did his best to anyway, nursing his winded stomach.

Kin and Zaku had already moved in, barely giving Sakura enough time to contemplate his curious words. "I've got the little brat," the only female of the team spoke confidently, running to tackle the girl in the dirtied red qipao.

Sakura wasted no time, performing a hand sign and channelling a steady amount of Chakra into the soles of her feet. She sailed over Kin, completely avoiding her attack but landing just in time to take the full force of a concussive blast of pressurized air. The girl was thrown like a ragdoll, striking the solid and unyielding trunk of a tree with her back. She hit the ground like deadweight; her back would've most likely snapped clean in two had the force been any greater.

Zaku grinned, bringing the palms of his hands to his mouth before he blew the openings of the air tubes like a smoking gun. "That was satisfying," he admitted, watching Dosu recover from the kick to his gut and Kin get up off of the firm ground.

The three were about to press on with their mission at hand—their real objective—though none of them expected the prone girl lying in the grass to suddenly explode into a small plume of smoke, leaving behind a moss covered wooden log and throwing the trio into full alert mode.

"Substitution! How?! When?!" Kin voiced her disbelief, very loudly too as she whipped around to scan the treelines.

All eyes were on the surrounding forest for any and all signs of the girl, a single girl and nothing more. "Calm down, this is one Genin we're dealing with." Dosu advised, keeping his tone quiet and measured.

He was the only one who seemed in control of himself, Kin was beginning to severely question the girl's supposed rookie status and Zaku was twitching, ready to open fire at the first sign of pink hair and emerald eyes. The group was so busy keeping careful watch of the surrounding forest; none of them paid any mind to a growing shadow above them.

Three shuriken sliced their way through the air, the noise of metal cutting through oxygen enough to tip the scarily acute Dosu off. "Above! Move!" He ordered, leaping clear as Kin followed suit.

The metal projectiles embedded themselves in the grass below, just barely missing their mark as Dosu and Kin backed off safely. "Let's try this again!" Zaku on the other hand, directed his open palms skyward.

It was a shame Sakura was already on top of him, like a bird of prey ready to strike out at their meal of the day. Zaku let a cry escape his lips when solid steel dug deep into one of his arms, blood spattering the green blades of grass below him. Sakura's full weight hit him as she drove her kunai knife deeper and deeper into her target, the bully that had been leaping at the chance to kill her the entire duration of the confrontation.

Zaku hit the ground, a grunt lost somewhere in a scream that evicted birds from their treetop homes overhead. Sakura cursed to herself as she reeled back with her free hand, she'd been aiming for his collar bone. She hesitated for what felt like a second, her shaking fist suspended in the air as thoughts ran through her head at a million miles per hour. It suddenly dawned on her that she'd never actually thrown a punch in a fight, not a real one anyway.

She'd seen Pītā do it a thousand times, watched those small fists crumble and shatter everything in their path. Even Naruto knew how to throw a good punch, and his Taijutsu wasn't exactly the strongest she'd ever seen. Sakura ran through the motions in her head in that split second of hesitation, she remembered the few lessons Pītā had given her during their sparring sessions.

She couldn't have her thumb on the inside of her balled fist, that was a good way to break it upon hitting something. She had to land the punch correctly, hitting something with her pinkie or ring finger was also a good way to break some bones. She needed to keep her fist tight, but not too tight. And even tough Pītā had informed her that hitting someone in the face wasn't always the best way to go, Sakura wasn't in any position to do anything else.

The girl let her fist fly down towards Zaku's face; he attempted to bring an arm up to guard but couldn't react in time. Sakura's knuckles collided with his nose, quick and clean. Her first shot wasn't hard enough to break the bone, her second shot was however. Blood lingered on her balled fist as she raised it a third time, only for one of Zaku's teammates to finally do something.

Sakura felt a foot drive deep into her side as she tumbled off of Zaku, hitting the floor with a thud and a startled cry. "This is getting ridiculous," Kin spat, her voice filled with disdain as she watched the twelve year old girl struggle on the floor of the forest.

Zaku slowly and painfully pulled the kunai knife from his forearm, wincing and hissing as he threw the crimson covered tool to the ground. "She broke my nose! She—agh! She broke my freaking nose!" He repeated, though certain words were a little hard to understand on account of said broken nose.

Dosu eyed the girl in red, a girl that had given them more trouble than they'd expected as she tried to push herself to her feet. "I did tell you to move, what part did you not understand?" He dryly responded, though his little remark went mostly unheard.

Zaku was too focused on glaring daggers at the girl on the floor to pay his teammate any mind, blood staining his wide eyed face. "Kill her! I'm gonna tear her apart for that!" He claimed, steadily making his way to his knees and then eventually, his feet.

Sakura watched groggily as all three ninja approached her, both Dosu and Kin apparently shared the exact same mentality as their teammate. "Leaf Hurricane!" A new but familiar voice broke through the tension, urging startled looks of confusion from all those present.

Three of those looks were wiped clean as a single spinning kick caught each one of them consecutively, throwing them a fair distance away. Sakura winced; she felt the impact of the attack just by watching it happen. A boy garbed in green spandex landed with fluid grace in front of the Leaf Kunoichi, whilst Dosu, Kin and Zaku did their best to go with the momentum of the blows and recover.

They tumbled and rolled backwards, eventually finding their balance and coming face to face with—

"Lee…?" Sakura realized just who had stepped in to protect her, the older boy with shiny black dome-like hair and a blinding set of pearly whites.

* * *

"Come on, Gaara, isn't this a little… unnecessary?" The shaky albeit familiar voice of a teenage Genin attempted to appeal to his brother, for whatever good it would do anyway.

Over on the other side of the Forest of Death, away from all of the petty commotion of Sound and Leaf ninja, a completely different battle was being waged. A severely one-sided battle, judging by the way Gaara of the Desert held three helpless Rain ninja aloft in what could only be described as floating tombs made completely out of dense sand.

Flanking him on either side was an uneasy Kankurō and a meekly quiet Temari, the redheaded child's dear brother and sister. They witnessed three admittedly cocky Shinobi struggle and gasp for air, fighting for their life as their brother held his open hand out in front of him. Temari glanced away as she knew what was coming, Kankurō shifted uncomfortably as Gaara swiftly closed his hand.

Muffled screams of pure agony managed to break through the airborne mounds of sand, a fine rain of crimson blood certainly did as it coated the surrounding area, dotting the natural greens and browns of the forest with speckled red. Gaara smirked as he let his arm fall back by his side, watching sand travel back to the gourd on his back almost as if it had a mind of its own.

Lifeless and mangled bodies fell to the soft soil beneath them, landing with a dull thud. Temari refused to look at the sight, despite all of her big talk and bravado; she was still squeamish when it came to certain things. Dead bodies were definitely one of those things, though her brother didn't seem to take that into account or really, didn't seem to care at all.

Gaara spared a dead eyed glance his older brother's way, jerking his head in the direction of the dead bodies. "Uh… right," Kankurō replied to the wordless request, not asking but telling him to go and search the recently deceased.

The purple face-painted Sand-nin didn't waste any time, quickly making his way over to the enemy ninja's corpses. He sort of felt bad for them, that they'd had such bad luck in order to run into Gaara in such a large forest. Of course, the trio of Rain boys had been arrogant, over-confident and straight up insulting. But did that really justify such a brutal and harsh death?

Kankurō didn't think so, but he wasn't about to air his thoughts to Gaara lest he end up exactly like the corpses he was pillaging. "Huh… so they did have a Heaven scroll… wow, these guys just couldn't catch a break." The black bodysuit wearing Shinobi murmured to himself, taking the item and giving it a once over.

The boy then rose to his full height, spinning on his heels to show the scroll to his siblings. Wearing a forced smile, Kankurō made the short trip back to Gaara and Temari's side, offering the prized possession to the latter. The sandy blonde haired teenager nodded gratefully as she took the item and placed it in within the confines of the red sash tied around her waist, Gaara didn't seem to care as he stood there indifferently.

"Well, at least this wasn't for nothing. Now we just need to head to the tower in the centre of the forest, ready to move, Gaara?" Temari's teal eyes gazed expectedly at her stoic brother, stood with his arms folded and back facing her.

The last born child of Suna's Kage didn't turn to face her; instead he narrowed his black-ringed eyes. "Shut up, both of you. It's… it's not enough, it's still not enough." He spoke quietly, betraying a silent rage which weathered within him.

Temari immediately shut her mouth; Kankurō didn't have to be told twice either. They knew what their brother was talking about; they knew what he meant when he said 'it wasn't enough'. The pint-sized bringer of death was referring to his bloodlust, such a strong and overwhelming need to just… kill anything and everything that happened to get in his way.

This was the real Gaara… well, maybe not the real Gaara, but it was certainly the Gaara the siblings were used to. A boy that rarely spoke but when he did, uttered threats and meant them. He'd been unusually reserved back in the Leaf Village; he couldn't have very well begun murdering every person he came across, that would've been grounds to start some kind of war between Suna and Konoha… which wasn't that far off from why they were actually there.

But out in the wilderness, with nobody watching him, nobody keeping an eye on him and nobody to tell him what he could and could not do, Gaara was in his element. He was in charge, he told his brother and sister, his elders, what to do and what not to do. They complied out of sheer fear, afraid that they'd bring out that twitchy look in his cold pupil-less green eyes.

Gaara slowly turned towards a gathering of bushes in the distance, his tanuki-like eyes narrowing in suspicion. The fiery headed boy suddenly got the feeling that he was being watched, that someone or something had witnessed his little bloodbath. Unbeknownst to Gaara and his Sand siblings, somebody had indeed seen what he'd done.

Team 8, a Leaf Genin squad that specialized in tracking, was lying in wait for an opportunity to leave after watching Gaara slaughter a trio of ninja. Their unofficial leader—or so he liked to think—Kiba Inuzuka, had rushed on ahead and stumbled upon the sight when Hinata Hyūga, their resident Byakugan user, had detected a strong Chakra presence in their area of the forest.

She and Shino Aburame, the team's insect user, had made themselves very clear when they'd wanted to ignore the presence and proceed to the tower in the centre of the Forest of Death. They possessed both Heaven and Earth scrolls; there was no need for them to waste any more time in this natural death trap of a place.

Naturally, their headstrong and rather brash leader had rushed on ahead and landed them in serious trouble. Akamaru, Kiba's small white Ninja Hound, had also detected Gaara. Unlike his master, Akamaru was smart enough to know that the boy from a foreign land was dangerous. Hiding inside Kiba's grey hooded fur-lined coat, the pup was shaking in fear.

Kiba, Hinata and Shino all stayed perfectly still as Gaara's piercing stare was directed their way. Sweat had begun to amass on their foreheads, slowly rolling down their faces and dripping from their chins. The self-appointed leader of the trio painstakingly turned his attention towards his companions, unable to see the terrified look in Shino's eyes beneath his sunglasses. Though, he recognized the clear fear decorating Hinata's fair, pale face.

Her large lavender eyes were wider than saucers; she'd gritted her teeth out of fear of making some sort of startled sound. She appeared as though she was about to throw up and Kiba honestly couldn't blame her, he did not want to end up just like those Rain-nin. Kiba made the small mistake of swallowing the lump in his throat but just when Gaara was about to confirm his suspicions, a new voice entered the fray and dragged his attention away from the bushes.

"Well, that was certainly dramatic." Dressed predominantly in green, with slight flourishes of purple, Kuentin Bekku ventured out from the opposing treeline.

Another ninja followed suit, a bald kid garbed in green and yellow. "Bloody too," Saidai Diron remarked with a grin, inspecting the blood spattered grass around them with his electric blue eyes.

The last of the trio finally joined them, standing considerably taller than anybody present. "But like your brother said, unnecessary." Mikio Goto growled, the last living scorpion's dark brown eyes settled on the shortest child present.

Gaara folded his arms as the big green brute of a Shinobi shot daggers at him, the redhead simply stared right back. "What do you want?" He stoically queried, though it sounded more like a demand than a simple request with the way it had been phrased.

The sandy blonde and messy haired brunette standing behind Gaara exchanged concerned glances; it always spelled trouble whenever the two most abrasive personalities in all of Sunagakure clashed. Their dear brother, Gaara and the predator of the desert, Mikio. Two incredibly powerful opposing forces, housed within the same isolated village. They were bound to have had a problem with one another, especially given their equally aggressive nature.

Kuentin picked up on the tension just as Temari and Kankurō had, stepping into Gaara's field of view and offering a slight bow. "There's no need to be so abrasive, Gaara. We are fellow Suna ninja after all; would it be too much to ask for a kinder greeting?" The dark haired self-acclaimed master of Genjutsu arched an eyebrow as he peaked over his shoulder, wordlessly urging both Saidai and Mikio to pay their respects.

The former rolled his eyes before bowing, Gaara was the Kazekage's son and Saidai didn't want to get into trouble. The latter on the other hand, did not bow. Judging by his lifelong grudge against a race of deceased ninja, Mikio was far too proud to bow to anyone. Gaara didn't particularly care, he didn't crave respect, he craved fear.

The deathly pale boy let Mikio's little show of defiance slide, it ultimately amounted to nothing in the long run. "I won't ask again," he reaffirmed his order, watching Kuentin rise out of the bow and chuckle lightly.

"We were just in the area when we noticed your uh… thing going on over here, they must have had it coming. Anyway, we thought we'd drop in and see how our brothers and sister-in-arms were doing." The unofficial leader of his little team, Kuentin flicked his eyebrows up and smiled candidly.

Temari quirked an eyebrow in response, there was always some kind of angle where Kuentin was concerned. "Seriously?" She lightly laughed as the word slipped past her lips, placing both of her hands on her shapely hips.

The trickster shrugged, rubbing the back of his neck as he replied. "Well… not entirely, no. Saidai just wanted to see you," he admitted, gesturing to his all too eager friend.

The cockiest member of their squad brushed his non-existent hair back, doing his best to direct a smouldering look Temari's way. "Hey, hot stuff." He bravely greeted, considering her notoriously murderous brother was standing right there.

It didn't matter though; everybody knew Gaara treated his siblings like dirt. It was kind of sad really, how the trio lacked any sort of familial bond. Temari and Kankurō were close, which was probably why the latter's purple painted expression had soured at the mere sound of Saidai's voice. But their brotherly relationship with Gaara was practically non-existent; they were viewed as lackeys more than blood relatives.

As such, nobody outside of Kankurō was going to stand up for the girl. "Not interested, Saidai. I've only told you like a thousand times," though Temari was perfectly capable of fighting her own battles.

The smitten boy didn't let her numerous number of rejections get him down, there was always tomorrow. "We're young, still got plenty of time for you to change your mind." He optimistically stated, throwing a wink her way.

Temari rolled her teal coloured eyes, folding her arms beneath her chest as she averted her gaze away from the teenager. "Don't hold your breath," the only Kunoichi present hit back, prompting him to turn beat red in embarrassment.

Saidai still persisted, attempting to save face in front of his teammates. "Baby, don't be like that." He pleaded with her, causing nothing but rolls of the eyes all around.

Mikio finally spoke up; throwing the blankest look he'd ever worn the smaller boy's way. "Saidai," he shortly said, urging his ally to pull his gaze away from the Sand beauty opposite him.

"Yeah?" A curious reply came from the bald lad, staring up at his taller companion.

Mikio didn't lower his voice; he didn't grant him the common courtesy of privacy among friends. "Be quiet, before I rip your spine out through your chest." He made the threat very clear, it would've been astronomically difficult to mistake his words for anything else.

Both Temari and Kankurō's eyebrows shot up at the show of brutal bluntness, though they weren't really surprised in all honesty. "Wouldn't that be harder? You'd have to go through my ribcage and everything," Saidai innocently responded, tilting his head downwards to look at his chest.

Mikio blinked, it was astonishing just how vacant the kid was. "I yanked a tree from the ground yesterday, I'm sure I could manage." He reasoned, pulling Saidai's attention back up to fall squarely on him.

"I'm convinced," he meekly replied, drawing a sigh from Kuentin as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Sometimes, it was seriously hard work just surviving the day to day with an idiot and a walking death sentence. "Enough with your babbling… you're here because you need a scroll, more specifically the scroll we just recovered." Gaara cut through the childish back and forth with a knife-sharp no-nonsense tone, demanding everyone's attention fall back on him.

Kuentin laughed awkwardly, the Suna heir wasn't entirely wrong. "Good guess, points for trying. But no, we did lose our scroll—" he began to explain but was interrupted by a straight-faced Mikio, deathly serious eyes poking out of that mask of his.

The resentment was not lost on those present; clearly something had happened to the three ninja that they wouldn't talk about openly. " _You_ lost our scroll," Mikio barged into the conversation, recalling the brutal fight he'd shared with a certain red and blue pest.

Kuentin swallowed, slightly embarrassed as he had to admit to his own shortcomings in front of such a large audience. "As I was saying, _I_ lost our scroll. And while this would have been an opportune moment to regain said stolen item, we recovered both scrolls needed to advance last night." The usually confident lad rambled, throwing up a nervous grin to hide his shame on the matter.

Mikio folded his large arms over his wide chest, scowling specifically at Gaara. "Consider yourselves lucky," he remarked, his words clearly intended as some form of verbal attack.

Something Gaara immediately took notice of; it was hard to miss when it was so blatant. "Lucky?" He posed, though it was less a question in need of answering and more him simply repeating what he'd heard.

Because he couldn't believe he'd just heard it, he couldn't believe that somebody had just said such an insulting thing to him. "Ah crap," Kankurō muttered, his eyes darting about as they flickered between a stoic Mikio, a worried Temari and an increasingly angry Gaara.

"This is bad," the sandy blonde, the only female present as far as anyone knew, swallowed in anticipation for what came next.

Naturally, Mikio did not feel that anticipation. "Yes, lucky. As in I won't be ripping you in half and taking your scroll from your cold, lifeless body. If that isn't lucky, I don't know what is." He reasoned, tilting his helmet wearing head inquisitively.

Saidai snickered in the background, finding the entire thing somewhat comical. "It's funny when he's threatening someone else," he side-eyed Kuentin, cocking a thumb towards the most defiant member of their team.

The unofficial leader, the kid who'd been left in charge of a walking force of nature, sighed. "And things were going moderately well," he muttered beneath his breath, he'd been hoping the conversation could have been kept at least civil.

But who was he kidding, there was no such thing as civil when it came to people like Mikio and Gaara. "Thank you for providing me with an excuse, Mikio." The redheaded child of Rasa felt a grin tug at his pale lips, a growing sense of chaos and destruction building within him.

Everyone froze as sand filtered out of Gaara's gourd and into the air, speckling the clearing with glinting grains of naturally occurring mineral. Mikio surveyed the sand, floating in the air around him like suspended droplets of exceedingly fine rain, just smaller and harder. The implication was clear to the scorpion; he was surrounded by clouds of sand on all sides as were his teammates.

Kuentin and Saidai seized up, unsure what they were supposed to do. Luckily, they didn't have to do anything. Mikio did it for them, breaking out of his stilted stance and strolling right up to Gaara. He forced his way through the suspended sand, it doing nothing to impede his progress. Temari and Kankurō exchanged looks of unease, for all they knew it was about to kick off in a very spectacular way.

Mikio halted directly in front of Gaara, towering over the small boy in an almost comical way. "You're making a very dangerous assumption, Gaara. You assume that everyone is afraid of you; you even have your dear brother and sister walking on eggshells around you because they're not quite sure what you'll do next. Let me be perfectly clear, I am not one of those people nor will I ever be." To his credit, the fiery redhead didn't seem phased as he continued to grin manically.

It would've gone further, it should've gone further. But at that moment in time, it didn't go further. Temari, Kankurō, Kuentin and Saidai had taken it upon themselves to separate the pair. The former two did not touch Gaara or move him in any way; they simply stood in front of him. The latter pair did pull Mikio back from the brink of a fight, but only because he let them.

"Gaara, remember why we're here. We have much bigger things to worry about than Mikio or even the exams, right?" Temari appealed to her baby brother, the last of their bloodline born before their mother passed away.

Gaara's ice cold eyes were pulled away from Mikio, momentarily focusing on the female face in front of him. "Unnecessary fighting, Gaara. Besides, he's nothing. There are far more challenging ninja in this little competition than Mikio Goto, you'd only be wasting your time and that's not something you can afford to do." Kankurō cut in, having to lie to his brother's face in order to get through to him.

Gaara was too proud to let anything go, but if he could've span it in such a way that Mikio was not even worth the effort, then they might've had a shot at pulling the boy away from the fight. "We have our orders, sweetie. We can't let dad down," Temari spoke softly, smiling as she employed the use of a pet name.

Over on the other side of the clearing, Kuentin and Saidai had to do something along the same lines. "We really don't have time for this little bout, Mikio. Besides, he's the Kazekage's son. I'm pretty sure killing him would result in a death sentence; don't quote me on that though." The dark haired boy garbed in purple and green jested, easing the tension as Mikio stared down at him.

Saidai nodded, two full rows of pearly whites on show as he beamed. "And you can't forget about that little grudge you've got going on, isn't he the entire reason you agreed to take part in the exams?" The bald lad reminded the arachnid-themed Shinobi, admittedly possessing some resentment for the spider-kid himself after such a swift and embarrassing defeat.

Mikio shrugged, he didn't need any more convincing. "Bizarrely, you're absolutely right. I have a clear goal in mind and no matter how much I want to kill him, Gaara is a necessary evil." He came to a solid conclusion, taking his predatory eyes off of his comrades and gazing across the meadow.

It seemed Gaara had also elected to calm down, which was surprising really, considering his bloodthirsty nature. The jinchūriki glowered at his siblings, prompting them to take a step away from him out of sheer fear. Palpable fear, fear the boy could feel in the very air around him. Speaking of the air around him, the sand he'd scattered swiftly returned to its home in the gourd on his back, neutralizing the lingering threat of a fight altogether.

Gaara didn't like it, not one bit. He'd had to settle for verbally berating the last person who disrespected him, the spider-nin back in the Leaf Village, instead of dealing with him in a way more fitting. If Gaara hadn't been on an extraordinarily important mission, he'd have straight up murdered the boy. Pākā was his name, the redhead vaguely recalled.

"We've wasted enough time here, we should get moving. Temari, Kankurō… for once, you're right. The tower is the main goal, everything else is simply unnecessary. This entire pointless conversation only served to prove that," Gaara shocked both his siblings by turning his back on everyone and stalking away, leaving a bewildered look on their faces.

It seemed the brief reminder of the bigger picture had served to simmer Gaara's insatiable bloodlust; either that or the conduit for a Tailed Beast was employing a very good poker face. "Right behind you, Gaara." Kankurō called out to his brother, not bothering to wave as he left the scene in a hurry.

No words came to mind for Temari, so she simply gave a slight nod of the head to her fellow Suna-nin before departing herself. "Bye, Temari! Bye! We'll see you at—at—you know, the tower and everything! I—I don't think she can hear me," Saidai murmured quietly after seconds of manic waving, drawing dismayed expression from both his companions.

Kuentin held his hand to his forehead, slowly sliding it down his face inch by inch. "Could you be any more desperate?" The most logical of the trio—or so he thought—posed the rhetorical question, his tone one of pity.

Said pity was lost on the most energetic member of their team, shrugging as he didn't see what the big deal was. "I think she's hot, sue me." Saidai flippantly stated, dismissively parting from them as he ventured into the surrounding woods.

Their most annoying teammate's departure left the green duo in complete silence, though Mikio didn't like the way Kuentin was staring at him. "You're going to lecture me, aren't you?" The brute of a boy quizzed, urging a shake of the head from his friend.

The self-touted master of illusions gave a short laugh, placing his hands behind his back and linking his fingers together. "No, no, nothing like that. I'm just… surprised and a little impressed, honestly. You showed a lot of restraint just now—besides the exchange of threats—I know that's never easy for you." Kuentin recognized, just as he'd recognized the tense manner in which his masked wearing ally had addressed Gaara.

Mikio nodded, he was just glad Kuentin wasn't going to talk his ear off for once. "In a perfect world, I'd have ripped his tongue out through his throat and let him choke on his own blood." He claimed, cracking his knuckles as a means to ease some of the anger coursing through his veins.

Kuentin's brow furrowed, an angry Mikio usually spelled trouble for everyone. "I believe you but this isn't a perfect world, man. It's never been one and as far as I know, I'm not a world famous illusionist yet so it likely never will be one. As much as we hate it, he's our future leader." The trickster reminded his friend, the word being used in the loosest of terms.

Mikio scoffed, a rare occurrence as every single thing that left his mouth was usually the promise of a severe beating. " _Your_ future leader, we've discussed this already. Once I restore my clan's honour, I'm leaving the Sand Village." He stated and due to their talks in secrecy, it was a statement Kuentin was positive the boy was going to back up.

Still, it didn't stop him from attempting to appeal to his common sense. "You know that's a crime, right? You must know, I've only had to tell you twelve thousand times. Abandoning your village and its people without any form of permission is a good way to become a missing-nin; Suna would never let you leave anyway. You're one of its strongest ninja, you're invaluable." Kuentin insisted, even going so far as to place a hand on his pal's shoulder.

His taller, stronger and scarier pal, something that seemed all the more apparent as Mikio narrowed his eyes at him. "Are you saying you'd report me?" The edge in his voice was perfectly clear, even despite the slightly muffled volume.

Kuentin opened his mouth to speak, his brain failing him as a wave of fear overcame him. "No... no, no! Good God, no! Of course I wouldn't, I'd never go behind your back like that. I'm just saying, people will eventually find out and when that time comes, you'd best be prepared to make a lot of enemies." The boy instinctively jerked his entire body back, away from the implied danger in front of him.

Mikio seemed satisfied, although he didn't trust anyone; only an idiot would've lied directly to his face. "I don't intend to harm them; I'm not a monster despite what you may think of me. But I have no intention of going back once I'm done here, they'd have to kill me to stop me. Besides, if you really do know me, you know I'd welcome the challenge." He turned his hard and stony gaze away from the shorter but admittedly smarter boy, staring off into dense green forest surrounding the small clearing they were standing in.

Kuentin rapidly nodded, at this point just trying to stay on his good side. "I do know you, Mikio… I do know you. I just—I hope you at least give it some thought, that's all. Come on, we have both scrolls; there's no need to linger here any longer. Don't want Saidai to go and get himself killed, eh?" The boy broke away from the larger framed Shinobi, nervously laughing as he attempted to lighten the mood.

Mikio let him leave, he had nothing else to discuss with him. He still wasn't even sure why he'd shared such information with the Genjutsu user, though he supposed that even closed off individuals such as himself still needed someone to talk to. Human beings, even those that possessed the abilities of arachnids, were social creatures by nature.

In all honesty, despite the implicated threats and subtle undertones of violence, Mikio was going to miss their little talks. Sparing one last fleeting glance at a gathering of bushes teetering on the flat meadow-like edge of the clearing and the thick, jumbled mess of plant life that was the forest, Mikio narrowed his eyes.

Nobody knew of a scorpion's inherent ability to sense vibrations, those that did know were long since dead. Regardless, he could feel the very minute vibrations that someone or something was giving off through the ground. The ever so slight shifts in the Earth that dictated movement, even through the material of his sandals. He didn't particularly care in all honesty, if they were going to attack, they'd have done it at that point.

No, they were hiding.

"It's not polite to eavesdrop," Mikio aired, staring directly at the thicket of greenery that seemed to shake just a little bit more with each word uttered.

He suspected that whoever they were, they'd stumbled upon Gaara's massacre and opted to hide. In his opinion, that was the smartest move they could've made. Unlike him—according to himself at least—Gaara was a monster and most likely wouldn't have spared a second thought in slaughtering them, it was simply how his twisted mind worked.

Mikio turned his back on the bush, they weren't going to come out of their hiding spot and he simply didn't have the patience to stand around. "If you're done here, head for the tower. Sticking your noses into other people's business is a good way to prematurely end your careers as ninja, especially where Gaara of the Desert is concerned." He advised, venturing into the woods shortly after.

He didn't care who it was, just as long as it wasn't the spider-heir.

Kiba, Hinata and Shino remained perfectly still as the big green guy left. They'd been stuck in the same agonizing position for the entire exchange, barely able to breathe as six dangerous ninja conversed mere yards away from them. And judging by the severely annoyed looks of accusation—even from Hinata—it seemed the general consensus was that Kiba was to blame, a sentiment he kind of agreed with.

All three Genin breathed generous sighs of relief as they were left alone with the quietness of the forest, barring the occasional tweet of a bird. "Okay, guys… I messed up." Kiba reluctantly admitted as Akamaru continued to shake within the confines of his fur-lined coat, drawing a worried look from his owner.

Shino narrowed his eyes beneath those beady black sunglasses of his, rising to stand and look down on the dog-user with a tiny fraction of disdain. "That's an understatement; your reckless behaviour could've gotten us all killed." He didn't hold back as Kiba also stood, wiping the stray leaves and pieces of grass from his backside.

Hinata followed suit, her stomach doing loops as she still felt queasy. "As m-much as I prefer to st-stay out of your arguments… Shino's right, K-Kiba." She turned to gaze up at her abrasive team leader, sweat dripping from her purple brow.

Kiba was slightly taken aback; the Hinata he knew was never one to be so confrontational. "Jeez, you too? Look, it was a dumb move. I get that, I know that. I shouldn't have jumped ahead like that; it was… it was a stupid thing to do." He admitted, his usually loud and brash tone taking a turn for the quiet all of a sudden.

Shino kept silent, he knew Kiba meant what he said. "I… I've never been more afraid in my entire life," Hinata on the other hand, she was still feeling the effects of a near clash with a group of murderous ninja.

Kiba frowned, wincing a little as guilt hit him in waves. "Hinata… I'm sorry, okay? Really, I—I just wasn't thinking. I'll try to be more careful, more cautious next time." He promised, though for the young Hyūga heiress—former Hyūga heiress anyway—the wild boy's words weren't good enough.

The petit Kunoichi held out her hand, her pinkie finger extended while the rest were balled. She didn't explain it; both males present knew what it meant. Kiba studied the tiny digit for a moment before ultimately taking a hold of it, wrapping his own pinkie finger around it. They held the lock tightly, nodding at each other before letting go.

Kiba had to stay true to his word now; breaking a pinkie promise was a big no-no among friends. "Right… now that that's settled, we should head towards the tower too. Akamaru's still not himself; I wanna make sure he's okay." He suggested, gazing down into the confines of his coat and frowning at a still quivering puppy.

The bug user with the frizzy brunette hair and the girl born with a kekkei genkai both nodded, Akamaru wasn't their pet but they still cared about the little guy. "We'll leave but perhaps we should hold back a little, if what we heard was true then that means both teams are headed in that direction. We wouldn't want to run into them again, would we?" Shino advised, drawing immediate compliant nods from his companions.

They were tough, they'd seen their fair share of crazy but at the end of the day, they were still just kids. They had no idea what Gaara and that Mikio guy were, whether they were human beings or something else entirely but Team 8 did not want to find out. At least, not any time soon. So they sat in each other's company for a moment, Kiba's attention fully devoted to his startled pup while both Shino and Hinata took a moment to contemplate things.

It was a strange thought to be having, especially in the middle of the second phase of the Chūnin Exams but… a small part of the pair were starting to wonder whether they had been ready for such a competition after all. Kiba, of course, had been all for it ever since Kurenai-Sensei had brought the news to them. Shino had been somewhat on the fence on the matter whilst Hinata—the most timid ninja anyone had ever met—had been straight up apprehensive, constantly worrying and stressing out in the days leading up to sign-up.

Shino had done his best—at least he'd thought so—to reassure the girl but even he felt that they'd both been a little pushed into it by Kiba, he'd been claiming every day of training that they'd show every other team up, prove to them that they were a force to be reckoned with. And while it had been encouraging, doubt still managed to sow itself within their minds.

The usually quiet boy readjusted his sunglasses, not that he needed to, it was simply something to do. He had to force those thoughts out of his mind; second guessing himself and his teammates wasn't going to do anyone any good. They'd committed to the competition, to their sensei; the decision was on them and them alone.

"Kiba," the insect-user disturbed the tranquil albeit tense peace, his sharp tone immediately grabbing both of his companions' attention.

Hinata was anxious; Shino was able to tell simply by the way she was sitting. Completely rigid, unwilling to let go and just let her muscles relax for a moment. The brunette didn't blame her; they were out in the middle of an unfamiliar forest and feeling more than a little on edge. The lad sat opposite Shino, sharp canine fangs just barely managing to poke through the thin line his lips had assumed, jerked his head upwards at the sound of his name.

He was so preoccupied with Akamaru; Shino wouldn't have been surprised had all worry slipped the ninja's mind. "I think it's time we head out," he suggested, something so emotionally withdrawn about his voice and demeanour in general.

Whereas Kiba wore his bravado on his sleeve and Hinata was clearly a shy budding flower that had yet to bloom, Shino was quite the closed book. Half the time, his friends had no idea what he was thinking let alone his enemies. And that was key for a good Shinobi, to never show an opponent any weaknesses. Shino was a blank canvas; Kiba was splattered with vibrant red whilst the only girl of the trio was painted in water colour, made up of sombre purple and sad blue.

Kiba didn't bother to answer, not verbally anyway. He simply nodded, hopping to his feet whilst being careful of the passenger hiding within his coat. Hinata and Shino followed, the former affectionately reaching into Kiba's coat to rub the pup's quivering ears. Akamaru gave a short cry before burying his muzzle into Kiba's chest, earning a sympathetic coo from the short-haired girl.

"Oh, Akamaru. What do you think's the matter with him?" She queried as the trio set off, her large lavender eyes gazing up at Kiba's predatory slit pupils.

The Inuzuka boy knew exactly what was wrong with him, he'd felt it a little himself in all honesty. "Dogs aren't like us, well… like you. They're much more attuned to the world around us, that's even truer for Ninja Hounds. Akamaru caught wind of something he didn't like, clearly freaked the little guy out." He steered clear of flat-out saying it at the risk of sounding like a superstitious idiot, though was surprised when Shino cut in.

He was a member of the Aburame-Clan, one of the five noble families of Konoha—a family specifically defined by their expert use of any and all types of insects—and even he knew full well what was bothering Akamaru. "Make of this what you will but… it's said that dogs can sense evil, not everyone believes in such things but clearly Akamaru picked up on something." Shino bluntly pitched in, earning a perplexed look from Kiba and a worried look from Hinata.

Kiba was a little caught off-guard because Shino was an incredibly sceptical child, constantly asking inconsequential questions that were usually regarded as nit-picking by most kids. "Hey, they aren't man's best friend for nothing." He stated proudly, sporting a grin as the mysterious Genin arched an eyebrow at him.

"Well, that's debatable." Shino shot back in a matter of fact tone, the trio settling into their old roles in light of recent events.

Kiba would claim something, Shino would poke holes in everything he said and Hinata would constantly try to act as a mediator between the two. "We've been over this, insects are not man's best friend. Never have been, never will be." The canine enthusiast—with his red decorated cheeks—shook his head; the very same argument was brought up every other week.

Hinata sighed as she closed her eyes, because she knew that eventually—

"What do you think, Hinata?" Shino turned his black sunglasses down towards her, hands firmly in his light grey jacket pockets.

The Hyūga-Clan member found herself fiddling with her fingers as both parties looked to her to solve their little conundrum, the best she could do was look down at her toes poking through her sandals. "I-I'm not sure… I'm not really f-familiar with either animal, though… dogs are famously loyal." She attempted to skirt the line between both arguments but in the end, she let her bias show.

Her sole exposure to dogs had been through Akamaru and Hinata, bless her little soul, loved the puppy to pieces. "Oh man, what's that? Score one for Kiba?" The loudest boy in their company placed his hand to his ear, mocking Shino with a giant toothy grin.

Shino didn't show any sort of response, not physically anyway. "Everything's always a competition with you," he muttered, turning away from his cocky friend to face front.

Kiba simply gave a hearty laugh in response while Hinata kept quiet; it seemed not much had changed despite the near danger to their lives. In reality, all three children were simply trying to keep their minds off of what they'd seen. Yesterday had been a far simpler day for them, when they hadn't witnessed three young Rain ninja get crushed to death in tombs made up of golden sand.

What was that phrase again? Out of sight, out of mind?

* * *

Some distance away, blind to the very real danger of overwhelmingly powerful ninja like Gaara and Mikio, two more Konoha Genin were cautiously making their way through the maze-like structure of the 44th Battle Training Zone. Though, they weren't rookies by any means, having just over a year under their belt as fully fledged Leaf ninja. They'd graduated from last year's Academy class, though instead of headed straight for the Chūnin Exams, their sensei had ultimately decided against it in favour of rigorous training.

Neji Hyūga and Tenten Tanaka, two members of Team 3, led by the one and only master of Taijutsu, Might Guy himself. They were missing a member, a boy that fashioned himself after their teacher to almost parody-like levels. For whatever reason, Guy-Sensei encouraged it and the two shared a strong bond because of their many similarities.

Neji didn't understand it, not really. How could two people that weren't even related in any way, through blood or marriage, become so close? It wasn't the case but people would've been forgiven for thinking they were father and son, such was their resemblance, physically and in every other aspect imaginable.

He wasn't envious of the relationship, far from it in fact. It simply perplexed him, his clan—his family—simply did things in a completely different way. They were colder, sterner, less welcoming, less loving. It had clearly rubbed off on him, as he couldn't even muster a shred of feeling for his cousin. Though, that could've been attributed to her standing in the Hyūga's Main House while he was… less revered.

Neji was a member of the Hyūga's Branch House, assigned to protect the Main House at all costs. Well… less assigned and more forced, as members had absolutely no say in it. Due to the circumstances of their birth, these members were automatically subservient to the Main House. They were their lesser in every sense of the word, born to protect and serve them.

They could not escape this fate, as members were branded with a cursed seal at a young age that served two primary purposes. The first was to protect the most treasured technique of the Hyūga-Clan, the famed Byakugan. It was a Dōjutsu technique that—once activated—gave its users a near three hundred and sixty degree field of view, with a single blind spot at the back of the neck, above the third upper thoracic vertebrae.

It enabled Neji and Hinata alike to see targets incredible distances away, though this varied depending on the skill of the user. With this kekkei genkai, they were able to follow high speed movements and even penetrate most solid objects with their vision. Arguably, its greatest trait was the ability to see Chakra, recognizing individual people according to the unique Chakra signature they gave off and also being able to see the Chakra Pathway System that coursed through the body.

Though, extended use of the Byakugan could lead to severe but temporary eye-strain. In some cases, this could fully blind the wielder for a limited amount of time. Like many powerful abilities, there were certain drawbacks. Neji had yet to experience them as he was a child prodigy, even by Hyūga-Clan standards.

Regardless, due to his birth, he'd always play second fiddle to the Main Branch. It was because of this that Neji harboured a silent resentment for them, a strong feeling that burned within him and grew with each passing day. As such, he was a little difficult to be around.

Tenten knew this full well, she'd spent the last year with him and while she had adjusted to his cold personality—especially in comparison to someone like Rock Lee—it still rubbed her the wrong way every now and again.

Especially when the boy couldn't muster the effort to show an ounce of worry over his missing teammate, which was really starting to get on her nerves. "Do you think he's all right?" The brunette—with her hair held in two Chinese-style tight buns—queried as she and her stoic companion landed at the base of a tall tree, concern fraught in her slightly tanned features.

Neji folded his arms and hummed, he was admittedly curious himself. "I'm starting to wonder that myself, though I wouldn't be surprised if trouble found him. Then again, knowing him, he most likely went looking for trouble." He reasoned, his absent teammate had always been the eager one.

Sometimes that meant he didn't know when to fight and when not to, he didn't pick and choose his battles. A lot of people tended to forget that an important part of survival was knowing when to run away, there were some battles that just couldn't be won, no matter how much 'hard work' was put in. Things were predetermined—or so Neji thought anyway—some ninja were just inherently stronger than others and there was no way around that, even Guy-Sensei's intense training wasn't going to change that.

It was possible he could've been killed, Neji had considered it. He just didn't want to say it out loud, especially with Tenten inches away from him. Not because he was taking her feelings into account, simply because he really didn't need her to be a blubbering mess in the middle of a test of survival.

"Can't you use your thingy?" Tenten suggested, arching an eyebrow as she placed a hand on her developing hips.

Neji frowned, he really hated it when she referred to his sacred technique as a 'thingy'. "Why don't you just say Byakugan? You know what it's called, Tenten." He reminded her, a part of him wouldn't have been surprised if she'd done it just to tick him off.

The girl—wearing her pink sleeveless blouse and dark green pants—shrugged, unable to understand why he cared so much about it. "Honestly? It's kind of a mouthful," she lightly reasoned, a brief smile passing over her lips.

It diminished almost immediately as Neji scowled at her, now he was convinced she was simply trying to push his buttons. "Okay, fine. Can you please use your awesome Byakugan, oh great and powerful Neji?" Tenten mocked, her dark brown eyes fixed solely on her teammate's light lavender orbs.

Neji grumbled, turning away from her as he directed his attention to the forest at large. "The sarcasm isn't appreciated but… it's better than nothing, I suppose." He muttered, before preparing himself for the technique.

The long raven haired genius clasped his hands together—one bandaged and the other not—in front of his pale face, his index and middle finger standing upright. "Byakugan!" Neji yelled, his eyes widening as the veins around his temples bulged.

Suddenly, everything became so clear to him. The boy was able to see the Chakra Pathway System of his female teammate, watching as it moved and flowed within her. He then saw beyond her, scouring every each of the forest for a fifty metre radius. It was all he could manage at such a young age; he was going to train to make it stronger, to give it a far reaching range.

Neji was about to deactivate the technique when he noticed something behind him, ever so slightly above him and Tenten. Whatever it was, it was almost hidden by the Byakugan's blind spot… almost. Tenten seemed oblivious as Neji spun around, moving quite swiftly as he whipped a kunai knife out of the holster on his leg.

Of course, the blade didn't get far as something stopped Neji's arm in its tracks, an impossibly solid grip wrapped around his wrist and refusing to budge one bit. "What in the—wait… Pītā? Pītā Pākā?" Tenten voiced her surprise, noticing the boy hanging upside down with one hand precariously holding onto a web-line and the other holding onto Neji's wrist.

The red and blue spider didn't answer the girl immediately; he was instead involved in a fairly tense staring match with another prodigy student. "Didn't your parents ever teach you not to play with sharp objects? You could've had my eye out, dude." Pītā lectured, the only visible part of his face—his chocolate brown eyes—scowling at the lad slightly below him.

Neji narrowed his own right back, unable to yank himself free. "That was the idea," he snapped back, locked in a tense stand-off with the only other boy for at least fifty metres.

And he just so happened to have been a fellow Leaf ninja, something he didn't particularly care about. "Okay, you, behave. You, get down from there and stop with the creepy spider routine." Tenten on the other hand, really didn't have time for the whole testosterone contest.

She waltzed right up to the pair, urging a quirk of the eyebrow from both of them as she patted Pītā's arm, wordlessly telling him to let go. The boy did just that, blinking a few times as she also physically lowered Neji's arm. The Hyūga-Clan member perfectly mimicked the Shukeikō-Clan heir as he too blinked a few times, feeling his kunai knife slip from his hand.

Neji's eyes settled back down, the veins around them disappearing altogether as he watched Tenten show him his own weapon. "You can have this back when you learn to play nice," Tenten lectured, pocketing the projectile piece of steel.

Pītā rubbed the back of his neck; he hadn't been expecting things to get so awkward. "Tenten, this is the second phase of the exams. This is supposed to be a test of survival, not a test of friendship." Neji folded his arms, frowning—as if his mouth knew to do anything but frown—at the bold girl.

The agile Shinobi above them let go of the strand of silk he'd been holding, landing without a sound and stretching to his full height. "Oh, you're a rules guy! This should be a hoot and a half," he mocked, hiding a grin in plain sight as it was masked perfectly by his… well, mask.

"You're already starting to get on my nerves, how long have you been here? Six seconds?" Neji questioned, though it was clearly rhetorical in nature.

Pītā didn't mind, he actually loved a good back and forth with anyone. "Really? Wow, I'm not even trying. It's Neji, right? Lady Hinata's older and much more abrasive cousin? Last year's number one rookie?" He peppered a few queries the boy's way, though they were in vain.

He knew full well who Neji Hyūga was, as did the rest of the rookie Genin. As Pītā had said, Neji had been the Academy's unchallenged number one rookie the previous year. He was also slightly notorious for treating his soft spoken cousin less like a family member and more like a gnat, annoying and bothersome. Though, it was a family matter so people tended not to get involved.

Pītā didn't know the kid, he'd had no prior experience to him outside of brief eye contact the morning they'd all signed up for the exams. So he really didn't want to judge a book by its cover or buy into any gossip or rumours, they'd just met after all, formally at least.

Neji didn't bother answering any of Pītā's questions; he instead fixed the younger boy with a stern glare. "And I know who you are too, Pākā. You're the end of a bloodline; you're the last living spider." He pointed out, as if Pītā wasn't already aware of this information.

All the web-head could do was shrug, taking it in stride. "No pressure, right?" He calmly responded, a slight laugh escaping his lips.

Though, while Pītā took it on the chin, Tenten felt a little offended for him. "Neji, there's no need to be so hostile. He hasn't attacked us, so why don't we just calm down and talk to each other." She suggested, her eyes flickering from her companion to the friendly newcomer.

Neji didn't respond, he didn't even acknowledge the girl's words with a look her way. "I like her, she's smart." Pītā raised his eyebrows, cocking a thumb Tenten's way as he matched the male Hyūga's penetrating gaze.

"Thank you," she appreciated the compliment, though had to suppress a sigh as the two males were still staring one another down.

Like two stags locked in one-on-one combat, waiting for each other to back off and submit. "Tenten does have a point; you had the element of surprise on your side and the opportunity to attack us. Yet you didn't, which means you're not here to take our scroll. So, Pākā… what _do_ you want?" The older, more experienced of the two boys posed.

Pītā felt a smile tug at his lips, he didn't mind the bluntness. "I was in the neighbourhood, thought I'd drop by and say hi." It contrasted greatly with his flippant nature; someone had to force things along after all.

Neji wasn't buying his answer; Tenten found it odd too as she quirked an eyebrow. "Pītā, what's wrong? Did something happen?" They barely knew each other after all; he had no rhyme or reason to check in with them.

The only Kunoichi present knew when someone was being evasive, when someone was dancing around a subject because they didn't know how to approach it. "Well, I'm all by my lonesome if you haven't noticed. And I see you're missing a lesser spotted Rock Lee… that's his name, right? Lee?" He had to double check, as easy as the owner of the name was to remember, Pītā had been through quite a lot since meeting him.

Namely repeated blunt force trauma to the head, which was a simple yet effective way to forget a lot of things. "Yes," Neji answered shortly, his quiet yet firm tone carrying a sharpness to it.

A sharpness that was warning Pītā, letting him know that Neji was watching every small and subtle move he made. "Unique name, easy to remember." The brunette remarked, stuffing his fingerless gloved hands into his dark blue pants pockets.

Tenten knew that her teammate wasn't going to comment any further, so she took it upon herself to keep the conversation going. "We split up to scout for another scroll but… that was this morning, we haven't seen him since." She revealed, earning a nod of understanding from the boy garbed in torn red and blue.

Pītā noticed the worry shimmer in those dark brown eyes of hers, she was scared that something had happened to her friend and he couldn't blame her. "I lost Naruto and Sakura yesterday, something happened, something bad and we… we got split up." He levelled with her, avoiding any witticisms or jests for the sake of urgency.

Friends were missing; it wasn't exactly the right time to sit around a campfire telling knock knock jokes. "I hope they're okay," Tenten expressed, offering her fellow brunette a kind smile.

Though she wasn't able to see it, the web-slinger returned it. "Ditto," he muttered, his scattered thoughts shifting to his MIA allies.

Neji on the other hand, wasn't feeling so sentimental. "Let me guess… you want us to help you find your missing teammates and in return—" The stoic boy—not unlike Sasuke in that regard—knew where Pītā was headed, though was interrupted himself when the Genin decided to cut to the chase.

"I'll help you find Lee, sure." He agreed, nodding with complete sincerity as Neji narrowed those pupil-less lavender eyes of his.

Tenten took note of it; Neji was still on alert-mode while Pītā had softened up. "Three heads are better than two, right?" She attempted to play to his logic, his common sense as the advantage couldn't be denied.

Though, Neji being Neji was always full of surprises. "We appreciate the offer… but no," his decline was short and sweet, sour would've been more accurate actually.

Tenten stood slack-jawed as Neji about turned and marched away, not bothering to concern himself with Pītā's trivial troubles. "Neji! Are you kidding me right now?!" She called after him, balling her fists as the unofficial leader of their team paid her no heed.

In all honesty, Pītā was a little stunned by the immediate dismissal as well. "Well, that settles that… I prefer his cousin." He admitted, not bothering to lower his tone in the meantime.

"I heard that," Neji's voice carried back through the dense trees of the forest, out of sight but not out of earshot apparently.

Pītā scoffed, shaking his head. "I didn't exactly whisper," he gave a cheeky response, which was met with nothing but silence.

Neji was most likely done with the entire situation, he had bigger things to worry about than Pītā's little manhunt. "He—he just… takes some time getting used to, I swear." Tenten spoke up, employing an apologetic tone as she rubbed her upper arm awkwardly.

Pītā wasn't sure why she felt sorry, she hadn't been the difficult one. "I don't doubt it," he shortly replied, just getting a taste of the Hyūga had soured his entire non-existent opinion of him.

Though, maybe he'd just caught him on a bad day.

A painfully awkward silence hung between the remaining two Leaf Genin as they stood idle, dwindling in the shade the overhead canopy of the forest had to offer. The last time they'd spoken had been during sign-up for the exams, when Pītā had defended Tenten from two boisterous bullies. She'd appreciated the heck out it, which was a huge part of why she'd sort of defended him from Neji.

It wasn't as if she'd picked him over her teammate, she knew full well when the raven haired Shinobi was being aggressive and there was just something inherently trustworthy about Pītā. Even though she couldn't see his face, his features, his smile… his eyes spoke volumes. They were too kind to hide any ill intent, too exuberant and full of life.

The moment she'd met him she realized he had a good heart, even though it had been a ploy by her team to temper expectations towards them, standing up for the weak was something a good person did. Tenten wasn't willing to write him off just like her friend had done, she wasn't about to repay him by brushing him aside like yesterday's news.

A silly smile decorated her lips as she looked him up and down, taking in just how beaten up and sorry looking he appeared. "You look awful by the way," she told him honestly, furrowing her brow in sympathy as she regarded his torn clothes.

Pītā laughed, he appreciated honesty. "I _feel_ awful," he agreed, still marginally feeling the effects of the snake venom that had once coursed through his veins.

He doubted it was totally out of his system yet, he still felt like he was about to spontaneously combust. "I didn't want to say anything but… you're much paler than I remember, from what I can see anyway… you know, the mask and everything." Tenten rambled, folding her arms underneath her chest and smiling through it.

"Yeah, I'm not feeling so hot. I don't know, must've been something I ate." Pītā lied, with great reluctance on his part.

He didn't want to be dishonest with her, he didn't want to be dishonest with anyone but he wasn't sure he was ready to explain exactly what had happened to him. "Like what?" Tenten bought into his fib; he did seem a little tired to her now that he'd mentioned it.

Pītā shrugged, standing stiff for a moment as sweat was beginning to amass on his forehead. "I'm not sure, berries? People eat berries in the forest, right?" He quizzed, a part of him running with his excuse and another part of him genuinely curious.

Tenten arched a bewildered eyebrow, taking note of his sudden case of the sweats despite his pale complexion. "The poisonous kind? Yeah, that'd be a no." She answered, before feeling comfortable enough to take a step towards him.

Pītā barely noticed Tenten enter his personal space and gently, delicately place her dainty hand on his forehead. "Obviously," he vacantly replied, blinking rapidly as his vision slowly blurred.

Tenten's face was nothing more than a peach and brown blur as he stared right down at her, unable to sharpen the shapes with his usually spectacular eyesight. "You're—Pītā, you're burning up!" She urgently informed him, finding his forehead to be searing hot.

Almost too hot, unnaturally hot for a regular fever. "I'm fine," he shrugged, reaching up with a squinting eye to pull her hand away from his head.

Tenten attempted to resist his grip but found it impossible, he was simply too strong even in his somewhat dazed state. "You must be running some kind of fever," she speculated, concern invading her tone as she took a moment to wipe the damp palm of her hand on her sleeveless pink blouse.

Pītā let a laugh escape his masked mouth; he really didn't have time to be babied. "Tenten," he spoke her voice, a one worded request for her to stop.

In spite of this, she persisted. "If you don't cool down, you're going to collapse." She lectured him, something she really didn't want to do but as he was giving her no choice, she felt compelled to.

Pītā took a step back, raising his hands in front of him as if he were trying to ward her off. "I'm good, really." He insisted, feeling the fringe of his messy brunette hair dampen and mat with sweat.

Tenten rolled her eyes before she marched right up to him, getting right up in his half-visible face and even pointing her index finger in there too. "Look, I get that you're trying to be this big tough guy but if you keep being this stubborn, the only thing you're going to accomplish is falling flat on your face. Don't be like Neji; know when someone is offering to help you out." She had his complete and undivided attention as she spoke, unable to not notice the way his pupils were dilating and retracting.

Consistently too, as if they couldn't make up their minds whether they wanted to let light in or shut it out. "I really don't want a stick up my butt," Pītā simply responded, drawing a confused look out of the shorter girl before she realized what he was talking about.

Taking advantage of his momentary cluelessness, Tenten gripped Pītā's wrist and marched off in the direction Neji had departed. "Um… where are we going?" The boy—who Tenten suspected might have been slightly delirious—innocently questioned, his eyes as well as his voice full of curiosity.

Tenten dragged him along with her, navigating over the uneven terrain of the Forest of Death with the added difficulty of a fever ridden spider in her charge. "To the nearest fresh water source, you need to cool off." She didn't turn to address Pītā; she couldn't risk walking head first into the base of a tree.

The wall-crawler was simply along for the ride, he was feeling sluggish as his temperature had begun to soar to dangerous heights. "Then what?" The spider-heir once again posed, feeling more than a little useless as he shook his head in an attempt to regain some idea of his surroundings.

The girl chanced a confident look back at her trailing companion, noticing him manoeuvring his way over the various obstacles they passed with expert precision. "Then we're going to find our missing teammates," she told him, arching an eyebrow as it was as if he was on auto-pilot.

Despite his groggy state—sweating through whatever remained of Orochimaru's snake venom—Pītā didn't miss a beat in his response, focusing on his words as he relied on his spider-sense to guide him physically. "What about bright eyes?" The red and blue ninja questioned, his arm outstretched as Tenten continued to pull him along like a lost child.

She didn't even think about the strange nickname he'd used, only catching herself after having repeated it. "Bright eyes—I mean, _Neji's_ word isn't final. We'd cover much more ground between the three of us; he's just too prideful to ask for any kind of help." Tenten came to the most logical conclusion, something which was obvious to her but not always to her abrasive teammate.

Pītā snorted, apparently coherent enough to still have that dry sense of humour working. "Pride, huh? That's what that is?" He ribbed, before halting for a moment in order to steal himself.

Tenten was almost yanked back and onto the ground as something heavy kept her rooted in place, she turned and realized that Pītā had simply stopped walking. "It's okay, you can rest. Bottom line is… I haven't known Neji long, just over a year actually. We don't always agree on everything—who does?—but trust me when I say that he means well, really." She appealed in favour of the boy she'd known longer, teammates had to stick together after all.

Pītā took his hand back, feeling the light grip around his wrist loosen completely as he steadied his rapidly growing breathing. "I'll reserve the right to be sceptical," he shot back, the non-existent heat was seriously starting to get to him.

Something Tenten took note of as he keeled over, hands on his knees and breathing haggard. "You okay there? Maybe… maybe you should stay put, let Neji and I find Naruto, Sakura and Lee." She checked, crouching down to meet him at eye-level.

Brown stared into brown for a moment; Pītā shook his head before waving her concerns away. "I'm good, seriously. Just gotta… gotta catch my breath is all, really." Pītā assured her, finally standing upright after he felt he'd gotten his oxygen intake under control once again.

Tenten stared up at him, still crouched on the ground as he cracked his back. "If you're sure," she didn't object, slowly reaching her full height just as he'd done, standing noticeably shorter than him.

Pītā took in a deep bout of air, holding it for several long seconds before he eventually released it back into the vibrant forest around them. "Who knows, maybe sunshine and I could become BFFs." The arachnid-themed rookie flashed a grin beneath his dark blue mask, feeling better with each and every word that passed through his lips.

Tenten found herself smirking; he was certainly a weird one with the way he was bouncing back and forth between comical and drowsy. "Okay, I don't know whether that's just you being you or the fever talking. Either way, about as much chance of that happening as there is… the moon falling to the Earth or something." She entertained the humour, joining in herself as the duo set off in search of the Hyūga prodigy and the nearest source of water.

Pītā didn't bother stifling his laughter, disturbing a few birds from their crudely made nests in the rich green trees overhead. "Don't jinx it," he briefly remarked, earning an ear to ear grin in return from his new travel companion.

Of course, it was easy to laugh and joke about in the presence of a friendly face but Pītā had to stay focused and remind himself what he was supposed to have been doing. His spider-sense felt the same way, offering the boy a low buzz every now and again, signalling which general direction Sakura was in, which was a good thing as it meant his spider-tracer was still in effect. Though, the tingle was weak in its severity, meaning that he was still some distance away from her.

For now, Pītā had to reluctantly take Tenten's advice and cool his fever down somewhat. But as soon as he'd drenched his face in a source of crystal clear fresh water, nothing was stopping him from following the tingles in his skull directly to his lost teammates. He just hoped that nothing had happened to them, it'd been so long since he'd seen Naruto and Sakura. Pītā silently prayed that they were still in one piece, which was a big deal actually as Pītā was anything but religious.

Regardless, he just wanted them to be safe. Hopefully, after such a monumentally crappy few days, he'd at least have that going for him. The security of his friends and the certainty that they wouldn't be parted again, that some powerful force wouldn't separate them for a second time and leave all three of them vulnerable.

It was out of his hands for now, which Pītā hated. The feeling of powerlessness, the feeling of helplessness. The feeling that he wasn't doing enough when he could've been doing, when he should've been doing. Not out of obligation or written contract, but out of a simple sense of responsibility. And that was something Pītā took very seriously, above all else. But saying it and thinking it was easy, was all well and good… Pītā needed to show it.

Pītā needed to mean it…

* * *

 **Author's Note:** So, there we have it. Sakura's facing issues of her own whilst Pītā sort of decompresses. He's still feeling the effects of Orochimaru's snake venom, a single drop of the stuff is potent enough to kill a full-grown man and Pītā received two full doses to the neck, I'd imagine he's not feeling too good.

This chapter is just sort of bouncing back and forth between several different groups of characters, a lot of which we hadn't seen in a while. It was fun to catch up with the Sand Siblings, even more fun to carve out a history between them and Kuentin's team of ninja. Mikio doesn't like Gaara, go figure. I thought it was important to highlight Kiba's team and how they're kind of feeling about this whole exam thing, especially after what they witnessed.

I think the only team we haven't caught up with is Ino's, let's hope that changes next chapter, eh? Thanks for dropping by!

 **Guest Reviews:**

 **Great Saiyaman54:** That is quite the mystery, isn't it? To put it simply, the curse mark failed. Something interrupted the Chakra needed to make it happen, backfiring it. It will be expanded upon but it won't be for quite some time as right now, it's simply not relevant to the story. It's all about that pay-off, right?

 **Guest829:** My intention when writing that fight was that Pītā was fighting a losing battle from start to finish, a fight he didn't have to get involved in but felt compelled to because of Anko. He did well but he's not that good yet and Orochimaru was simply testing him, the bite indicated that Pītā passed that test with flying colors. I enjoy it when Spider-Man gets serious too, he's absolutely no joke when he stops holding back and messing around and I intend to showcase that as the story progresses.

He won't be building his web-shooters for himself, no. But he might think about the practicality of them and how a synthetic alternative could benefit more regular/human ninja but that won't be until he's older and has the materials available. Juria will be coming into the story very soon, will she teach Pītā? It's hard to say, she might be reluctant and he might be reluctant too. But there are important things Pītā needs to know and technically, as an elder member of Pītā's clan, it's her responsibility to teach him those things.

 **Guest1:** Will do, thanks for the support!

 **LoneWolf4299:** Haha, thanks for the compliments, I really appreciate it. Clone Saga's definitely something I've been thinking about, it has a certain charm to it and I think it can be done right in the right hands. Madame Web will be more than a reference, she'll be a very important part of the story moving forward. The thing with Pītā's eyes is the same thing, red color and blue color are linked. Good guess with the Other but it won't be expanded upon for quite some time, it's not important to the story right now.

I wouldn't be able to talk about Spider-Man PS4 without screaming and bursting into tears of joy, so I honestly don't think simple text on a computer screen can do any of that justice. Honestly, I'm hyped as hell and so happy that Peter's finally getting the Arkham treatment, the character deserves it so much. Spider-Verse is a thing I've thought about, I'm even writing about little by little. I think Yuri Lowenthal's an amazing voice actor, so it'd be a nice nod to have him voice one of the many versions of Spider-Man.

Peter Porker and Tonton would hit it off I imagine, Lady Tsunade and the Superior Spider-Man might not.

 **DocKucCro:** Thanks, I'm glad you liked how things played out. A Narutoverse version of any character is always possible but only if they serve a purpose to the overall story or if they can squeeze in somewhere I have need of a character. JJ's such a big part of Spider-Man lore that if I can find somewhere for him, I will but if not, it probably won't happen. Thanks!

 **Guest2:** I do indeed read guest reviews, I try to answer every single one of them too. I'm glad you like the little thing Anko and Pītā have going on, the intention is to build to an older sister/younger brother type dynamic. They're a natural fit, so I like the idea that they'd forge this sort of foster sibling bond. Thanks!

 **Anon:** Action can drag a bit, especially when there's nothing to break up said action. I did use Sakura's small interlude to do just that but if it wasn't enough, I don't know what to tell you. I'm glad you're into the story though, welcome aboard!

 **Guest3:** I have thought about it but not for this story, this story is about Pītā growing up in this crazy ninja world. He happens to be friendly with some of the girls but it won't go any further than friendship, save for the final pairing. Thanks!

 **Nick T:** The Goblin's an enemy for a more experienced/older Spidey, so wait until the time-skip, you might be surprised.

 **Aztec 13:** I do like the idea of adapting iconic Spider-Man story arcs for an alternate setting, even if the Clone Saga is one of the less revered Spider-Man stories. It has it's charm and it can be fixed, so why not, right?

 **Spidey 4 Lyfe:** The thing with Pītā's eyes is deliberate, there is a reason behind it that not even Pītā knows about yet. Good guess with the Sage Mode thing but that's a Naruto/Jiraiya exclusive ability, will Pītā have his own version of that kind of ability? You'll have to wait and see, thanks for the review!

 **DracoKnight:** I think Pītā's the kind of character that can hit it off with anyone and I do like to expand on characters that are sort of forgotten in Naruto canon, so who knows? It's funny you should mention Spider-Verse, I am kind of working on something of my own like that and I immediately thought of Pītā and what he could bring to the story. My mind did drift to alternate versions of anime/manga inspired Spider-Men, so it's a possibility. It's a work in progress, don't expect anything anytime soon as I'm busy with a lot of other stuff.

Will Pītā be involved in the prophecy? To answer shortly, yes. Thanks for the review!

 **Guest4:** So am I, Mcdonald's slogan! Thanks for the review!

 **coldblue:** I'll do my best to answer your questions as always, pal.

1) Anko will be a part of the story moving forward, she'll be on hand to help Pītā in any way she can. Shizune's pretty handy with poisons, perhaps she could lend Pītā a hand.

2) Medical Ninjutsu is Sakura's thing later on in the story, it's a huge advantage to have in a fight and I wouldn't want to take that away from her. Pītā is incredibly intelligent, he understands basic first aid, basic human anatomy and can grasp pretty much any concept but it won't go further than that. Sakura and Pītā will always help each other out, so they can definitely learn things from another but Sakura will remain the authority on Medical Ninjutsu later in the story.

3) I just don't think weapons are his kind of thing, he has a kunai knife like all ninja but he only used that when his back was against the wall with Mikio. Pītā will gain an ability later on in the story that answers both questions about poisons and weapons in one go, wait and see.

4) What happened with the curse mark has nothing to do with Pītā's kekkei genkai, and the curse mark didn't work because whatever happened simply overpowered Orochimaru's Chakra. It'll be expanded upon later in the story, it's simply not relevant right now.

5) Right now, Orochimaru has Pītā's blood stained on his clothes. What he'll do with it, you'll have to wait and see.

I like your theories on last chapter, especially concerning the spider-sense. It's an important part of Spider-Man lore and it will be expanded upon, you won't be waiting long for the conversation between Pītā and Sakura concerning it. I'd say... next chapter, maybe? After everything's blown over? Thanks for the reviews, I appreciate them, man.


	13. One of Those Days

**Author's Note:** Back at it again with Spider-Clan, probably one of my most favorite things to write. I'm not sure how many of you guys read these little notes but this one is important, I've once again had to cut the last chapter into two parts. Now, before you roll your eyes and get annoyed at me, I do have a good reason. The chapter itself landed at around thirty thousand words, that's just far too much to put into one chapter.

It's hard to digest, things can get muddled, readers can get lost etc. So, for the sake of being accessible, I split the chapter into a much more digestible/easier to read fifteen thousand a piece. I honestly didn't know just how much I'd end up writing but blame that on the things that didn't happen in canon happening in this story, characters talk to each more often, I'm trying to give them more depth, more dimensions as people etc.

So, yeah, one more chapter to go before this sub-arc in the Forest of Death is over. Again, I'm really sorry, guys but for the sake of the story, I wanted to let things breathe, give things more space and ultimately give the characters more time to connect and develop. Just hang in there for one more chapter and then we're off to the prelims, thanks for being so patient.

 **Disclaimer:** Spider-Man and all related characters are owned by Marvel and in turn, Disney. Naruto and all related characters are owned by Masashi Kishimoto, I own nothing.

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 **One of Those Days (Chūnin Exams Arc)**

Rock Lee—a boy Sakura had met during the sign-ups of the Chūnin Exams—kept his big round eyes levelled at the three Sound-nin some distance away from him, the cowardly ninja that had chosen to attack a lone Kunoichi. "Can you stand, Sakura?" He cut right to the chase, having taken note of her less than stellar physical status.

She shook as she attempted to answer his question through action, just barely being able to force her small muscles to obey her and not give out completely. "And just who might you be?" Dosu rose to stand, though not to his full height as he remained hunched over.

Kin and Zaku followed suit, dusting themselves off and dropping into defensive stances. "My name is Rock Lee, but my friends know me as the Handsome Devil of the Leaf Village." Lee felt generous enough to allow his enemies to know his name despite the way they had attacked Sakura, it was still the honourable thing to do in a fight.

Zaku grunted, annoyed by the presence of the strange looking boy but still fixated on the girl struggling to stand behind him. "Another Leaf Genin, test's full of 'em." He spat, watching as pinkie's knees were shaking with fatigue.

Kin had to roll her eyes; her teammate really was an idiot. "We _are_ on their home turf, genius." She pointed out, her tone completely deadpan.

Zaku didn't pay her any mind; neither did Dosu for that matter. Though, unlike the former who seemed to be obsessed with the girl in red, Dosu was too busy focusing on the newcomer. The way he was standing, upright and erect, piqued his curiosity. The boy possessed a very rigid frame, levelling one of his bandaged hands flat against the open air as the other one stayed behind his back. So he was ready to fight, Dosu gathered.

Unlike the girl's apparent disposition, which seemed to lead her to hesitate at the sheer thought of physical confrontation, the boy was fully prepared to get into things. Dosu narrowed his eyes as Sakura couldn't keep her half-lidded orbs off of Lee, surprise and shock still swirling somewhere deep within that shining emerald colour.

"Lee… I don't mean to sound un—ungrateful but… what're you doing here? _Why're_ you here? We—we're supposed to be enemies for the… for the duration of the test, I… I don't understand." Sakura stuttered and stammered as she tried to push through her sentences, the words formulating in her head but not translating so well to her mouth.

Lee glanced at her out of the corner of his charcoal black eyes; she was clearly running on fumes. "What's there to understand? I have no need for rules if a friend is in danger, exams or no exams. Don't worry, Sakura, I'll protect you with my life." He stated resolutely, his soft and admittedly gentle voice full of confidence.

Sakura felt she couldn't deny him; she didn't have the heart to say no to such a bold declaration. "I don't know what to say except… thank you, Lee." She tiredly drawled, though meant every word.

Said words worked wonders at sending Lee's heart aflutter, silent joy overcoming the boy as Sakura breathed slowly and steadily in an attempt to keep herself conscious. "It's clear you're in no condition to fight, Sakura. You've fared well against three ninja on your own for so long, but I'm here now. Rest easy, I won't let them harm you." Lee informed his friend and in all honesty, she was too exhausted to object.

She'd been wide awake since the morning the second phase of the Chūnin Exams had started, she'd lost Pītā, she'd watched as Orochimaru attacked Naruto and Sasuke's team. She'd witnessed the pain coursing through Sasuke as the serpent-like man cursed him with some sort of demon-like mark, she'd had to keep her eyes peeled all throughout the night, carefully watching her friends as they slept and regained their strength while she slowly but surely lost her own. She'd been hard at work, carefully constructing traps and then back-up traps, gripping the hilt of her kunai knife every time she heard a twig snap in the forest around her.

Sakura was on the verge of passing out, the adrenaline that had been pumping through her veins having abandoned her. Her only hope of making it to the next day was a boy that had come off a little too strongly during their first meeting, when he'd ecstatically made it clear that he wanted to date her. Sakura had to divert all of her strength to her legs, hoping that her knees wouldn't buckle anytime soon.

On the other side of the divide, Dosu chuckled lightly before reaching into the mass of bandages covering his torso and fetching the scroll he'd been carrying for his team. "Looks like Sasuke's all yours, Zaku. Here, make sure you don't lose this. I'll take care of the girl and her knight in shining spandex," the Sound ninja made himself abundantly clear.

"But she—!" Zaku began, stepping forward with both hands balled into white-knuckle fists.

Yet again, Dosu halted him in place with a firm hand on his chest. "But nothing, I gave you an order." He stated quietly, but there was no mistaking a certain edge to his voice.

An edge suggesting but not explicitly telling Zaku to back down, to drop his beef with the pink haired girl. "Fine, there's no challenge in killing her anyway." the most boisterous of the trio relented, swallowing his pride as he took the scroll from Dosu.

Kin folded her arms as she side-eyed her teammate, making up the most pathetic excuse she'd ever heard in order to save face. It was all or nothing with Zaku, he always had something to prove. Whether it was who was strongest, who was fastest, he never settled for anything less than first place. It was sad really and though she didn't know much about his past—even as his teammate—she could tell that he was the snivelling weak type, a rat of a person who just so happened to have been gifted by a person with power.

It was funny, she'd never had a problem with Dosu but Zaku… he just rubbed her the wrong way. "Yeah, that's probably it." She snidely remarked, earning a fierce glare from the seedy subject of her thoughts.

Zaku grunted, stuffing the scroll into his pocket. "Shut it," the lad snarled back, easily recognizing the sarcasm lacing her tone.

It wasn't hard when it was so blatantly obvious, the extraordinarily acute Dosu could attest to that. "If you're finished bickering, you might want to watch just how effectively I dispose of these two interlopers. Who knows, you could stand to learn a thing or two." He demanded their attention, his reserved voice rising slightly and immediately pulling their gaze over to him.

Kin nodded as her cheeks burned, Zaku simply rolled his eyes and huffed. Lee readied himself, bringing up his arms to guard as Sakura felt compelled to watch. She couldn't tear her green eyes away from the scene, not now, not after so long. Things didn't take long to kick off, her breath hitching in her throat as Dosu bolted, kicking up grass and dirt as he sprinted. His movement was odd and new to Lee, his posture hanging dangerously low to the ground but still able to keep balance.

Lee narrowed his big doe eyes, watching carefully as Dosu pulled the sleeve of his right arm up to reveal his trump card. The green spandex-clad Genin recognized it as the tool that had somehow cracked one of the other examinee's glasses, all without making contact with the transparent lenses. There was definitely a trick to it, something more to that metal-looking gauntlet clamped onto his arm than met the eye.

Lee needed to avoid it and play to his strengths, which admittedly wasn't plural. The student of Might Guy's biggest weapon was his profoundly impressive skill in the field of Taijutsu, fighting with his bare hands and that might not have been the best way to go against an attack that wasn't physical. Regardless, Lee held firm, his arms poised and braced for impact.

Dosu brought his gauntlet around in a big swinging arc as he reached the Genin garbed in green, letting out an exerted yell. He hit nothing but air as Lee ducked and rolled directly underneath the boy's arm, landing in a crouch behind him. The lad with the bowl haircut swept Dosu's legs out from under him with a swift kick; he didn't let up there as he moved into a handstand and brought his foot down in an axe kick.

Zaku cycled through a few familiar hand signs before aiming his palms at the newcomer, deeming it necessary to get involved. "Oh no you don't, Slicing Sound Wave!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, letting two powerful pulses of air and sound blast from the tubes in his hands.

Lee felt the impact before he even knew what was happening, being thrown like a ragdoll mid-move. "Ah!" He voiced his surprise in a shriek of terror, tumbling and rolling as he hit the floor.

His momentum halted when he crashed right into Sakura, the girl he was supposed to have been protecting. Even if she had gotten a chance to move, she wasn't sure she could've done. Her little body ached, every careful movement only led to more pain. Speaking of pain, it shot through her system when Lee crashed right into her, both of them being flung across the dirt floor of the forest until they skidded to a grinding halt.

Sakura stayed prone, staring up at the dark canopy of the forest as sparse sunlight attempted to break through. Lee had already sat up, gritting his teeth and holding his back in slight discomfort. A spiteful, angry look crossed his usually kind and upbeat features when he opened his eyes, glaring at the Sound ninja before him. Dosu had climbed to his feet, Kin was still watching things play out and Zaku was mentally patting himself on the back as he folded his arms and smiled smugly.

"Fighting dirty… of course you're fighting dirty," Lee noted as he too made the journey from the ground back to his feet, sparing a look of concern his companion's way.

With just one look at Sakura's sorry condition, Lee wasn't surprised that his opponents weren't the honourable kind. "Sakura, I didn't mean for that to happen. Are you all right?" Lee aided the girl to a sitting position, listening to her hiss in pain as several cuts on her legs and arms had begun to bleed freely.

Regardless of her injuries, she thanked him with a smile. "A little sore… you?" The pink haired cherry blossom replied, earning a nod of confidence from her fellow Leaf ninja.

Lee balled his bandaged fists, rising to his full height and staring down his enemies with newfound conviction. "I'm all right as long as you're all right," he kept his narrowed eyes on the foreign competing Shinobi and Kunoichi as he spoke, he had to be okay.

Not for himself, not even just for Sakura. He'd noticed the quartet of slumbering students nestled safely within the roots of a tall, majestic tree. Lee guessed that something bad had happened to them and Sakura had been doing her best to take care of them, living up to the kind-hearted image he had of the girl in his head.

So Lee couldn't lose, even though the odds were stacked against him. "You're fast, kid. Faster than me, not faster than our Jutsu however." Dosu complimented, recognizing a competent and capable Shinobi when he saw one.

That didn't mean he was going to go easy on him, far from it in fact. It simply meant Dosu was going to treat the boy like an actual threat and not like a nuisance, not the way he'd treated the girl with the pink hair. Dosu once again sprinted at Rock Lee, brandishing his gauntlet proudly as he closed the distance in impressive time. Sakura had used that time to shift herself backwards little by little, using her shaking hands to drag herself away from the fight for the time being.

Which meant Lee had some space, he also had some time to think too. He was trying to mentally figure out some way to fight his opponents, starting with Dosu. He couldn't leave himself open, as that would simply draw the attention of the other two Sound-nin waiting in the wings. He had considered using the forbidden Jutsu Guy-Sensei had taught him, but that would've only served to best one combatant and leave him too exhausted to face the rest.

Lee's thoughts vacated his head as Dosu was upon him, giving him seconds to react to yet another swing of the arm. Lee leaned backwards, knuckles breezing by his chest as he successfully avoided the attack. Though, the boy wasn't prepared for what came next as his vision blurred. Lee was about to take a knee when he took a fist instead, directly to the face. It only caused him to stagger, but the world spinning around in his peripheral vision didn't help.

Lee lurched forward, gagging as he couldn't resist the overwhelming urge to throw up. Sakura had to look away, her stomach was queasy as it was and she really didn't want to throw up everywhere. Lee's ears began to bleed as he wiped his mouth, balancing himself on his hands and knees as Dosu stood over him.

"Feeling a little sick, Lee? I'd imagine so since our Jutsu travels at the speed of sound, I don't even have to lay a finger on you in order to harm you. I can simply stand back and let sound do all of the work for me," Dosu explained, gesturing to the metallic gauntlet on his arm.

Lee attempted to raise his head, only to catch the heel of a sandal on his chin. "Hitting him when he can't even stand straight, using cheap tricks instead of fighting yourself, you're nothing but a coward!" Sakura climbed to her feet as Lee hit the grass and dirt, resting on the side of his arm as his skull felt like it was about to split open at any time.

Dosu quirked an eyebrow, watching the most persistent girl he'd ever met struggle to stand as she back talked him. "Oh, it's much more than a trick, girl. By targeting his inner ear, I can throw lover boy here off his balance, rendering his Taijutsu—no matter how impressive—absolutely useless." The older Shinobi informed his lesser, glancing back to his teammates when he heard one of them laugh.

Naturally, it was Zaku who felt the need to pitch in for some reason. "We don't have to rely on any of that old fashioned stuff, the things we can do… it's the way of the future. I can manipulate sound waves and air pressure; I can demolish boulders or make the ground as soft as a pillow." He boasted, earning a look of disapproval from Kin.

She shook her head, not sure what was going through that self-absorbed head of his. "I thought you wanted to kill her, now you're trying to impress her?" The raven haired girl queried, her voice dripping with scepticism as she put her teammate on the spot.

His response was predictable, leading to a roll of the eyes from Kin and an annoyed sigh from Dosu. "Shut. Up." Zaku firmly stated, warning his female teammate to cut back on the attitude with a look rather than an actual verbal threat.

"As I was saying, your valiant saviour here can't even see straight let alone protect you anymore. You're next on the chopping block, or would you rather lie down and avoid hurting yourself?" Dosu condescendingly questioned, a slight smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth beneath those bandages.

Sakura frowned, he was right. There was once again nothing between her and them, Lee only proving to have been a momentary distraction. It wasn't his fault of course; she'd experienced their penchant for teaming up against a single opponent first-hand. There was nothing fair about it, nothing in the slightest. It was beginning to dawn on Sakura, opening her glistening green eyes to the ugly world around her, that Pītā was right.

Nothing was ever fair.

Sakura raised her fists as tears threatened to spill from her eyes, Lee barely able to make sense of his twisting and shaking surroundings. "Get bent," she spat the words at the boy staring her down, foreign words that felt wrong coming from her mouth.

It wasn't something she'd usually say, being much more reserved than either of her attitude-filled teammates. Sakura narrowed her eyes; she was channelling her best Pītā Pākā. Dosu didn't say anything; he was honestly a little caught off-guard by the girl's biting reply. But he let an eerie laugh escape his lips once the surprise subsided; it was his turn to catch the girl off-guard when he bolted right for her.

Of course, he didn't expect to be intercepted by a stumbling Rock Lee. "It's a miracle you're still standing at all let alone mobile, let's fix that, eh?" Dosu brought his gauntlet-wielding arm up to block against the Genin's desperate attack, the very same attack he'd successfully used against all three Sound ninja upon arriving on the scene.

The momentum itself sent Dosu spinning on the spot, strength beyond what he was capable of still affecting him despite him blocking it. "I'm not done with you yet!" Lee vowed, almost keeling over as he stood in front of Sakura.

Dosu came out of the spin and managed to fake Lee out, using his regular left arm instead of his favoured gauntlet wearing right. "I certainly hope not!" He challenged the lad, driving his fist right into Lee's throat.

Lee batted the hand away, wincing as he held his throat in pain. "Agh!" He called out, his voice strained and a fraction of what it once was.

"Get away from him!" Sakura cried as she used Lee to draw Dosu's attention, throwing her entire body right at the bandaged Shinobi.

Both she and Dosu tumbled to the floor, wrestling for supremacy in the dirt. "Get off, you little—!" The latter began, reaching for her throat as she sat on top of him.

Sakura didn't even hesitate as she bit down hard on Dosu's hand, breaking skin and reaching tissue as his eyes widened. "AGH!" He screamed out, blood leaking out of the wound and staining the girl's pearly white teeth as she sneered at him like a rabid dog.

Dosu didn't bother with a hand sign; he just wanted the crazy girl to get off of him. He balled his free hand into a fist and drove it right into Sakura's face, right around the eye area to be more specific. She faltered, the hold she had on his hand loosening and allowing Dosu to yank it out of her mouth. Though, not without tearing some skin off. A dazed Sakura wasn't ready for an arm to be wrapped around her throat, dragging her off of Dosu and across the floor of the forest forcibly.

"For the love of God, can we just kill her already?!" Kin yelled the question to the boy on the floor, completely bewildered as he nursed his crimson hand.

Before Dosu could answer, Rock Lee was attempting to push himself up off of the firm ground as the world continued to spin. "S—Sakura… I'm… coming, Sakura." He forced out, his throat still sore from the blow it'd taken.

Dosu narrowed his eyes; he was really beginning to hate the Leaf. "No… no, you're not." He muttered, aiming his gauntlet-wielding arm at the downed lad.

With his free admittedly bleeding hand, Dosu flicked the metal material and listened intently to the quiet ping. Sound, a symphony to his highly acute ears and no-one else's. Forming a hand sign with his wet, shaking free hand, Dosu focused as he used his Chakra to manipulate the sound of the ping and direct it right in Lee's direction.

Namely, right for his ear. "Even the smallest of sounds can prove quite deadly," he noted, talking to nobody but himself as Lee's doe eyes widened.

His fingers dug deep into the soil beneath him and clenched, pain coursing through his head as a foreign sound bombarded his inner ear. A startled scream died in the green-clad Shinobi's throat, Lee couldn't bare the pain any longer. His body refused to co-operate and he face planted the dirt for his troubles, lying prone and unable to move as minute crimson streams trickled from his ears.

Sakura was about to call Lee's name when she felt her legs get kicked out from under her, sending her to the floor hard. "Just you and us now, pinkie. No more games, no more distractions. One way or another, let's finish this and be done with it." Kin advised her two teammates as she gripped her hostage by the hair, taking her long flowing locks into a balled fist.

Once again, a frightening thought occurred to Sakura. A thought that must have scrambled through her adolescent mind a thousand times in that day alone, a thought that she didn't want to face but felt she had no choice in the matter.

She was alone once again, with no-one to watch her back, no-one to fight by her side and ensure her safety. Kin had been right, even with the aggressive way she'd phrased it. It was just her and them, a single Leaf Kunoichi against three Sound Genin. Or so she thought, so all of them thought. As neither the local girl or her attackers were wise to the fact that they were being watched, someone was lying in wait in a nearby gathering of bushes.

Sat right at the edge of the small clearing, their backs protected by untamed forest, was Team 10. Made up by its three members, Ino Yamanaka, Shikamaru Nara and Chōji Akimichi, the rookie squad was led by Asuma Sarutobi, son to the Third Hokage. They'd wandered nearby to the altercation after attempting to trick Neji Hyūga into parting with his team's scroll, that hadn't gone quite as planned as the stern lad did not fall for the feminine charms of Ino.

They'd been more scared of him than anything else; having to fight last year's number one rookie was not something they were comfortable with. Hinata's cold cousin had mentioned something about a missing teammate in passing; Team 10 realized what he meant now as they gazed at Rock Lee's prone body, breathing slowly as he'd fought to protect Sakura from a trio of angry looking Sound-nin.

Chōji was noticeably terrified as he sat there, eyes squinting and bandaged hands parting the green leaves of the bushes in order to peer through. "I really don't like the look of those guys," his voice cracked; fear evident not just for himself but for Sakura too.

Ino couldn't bring herself to pry her baby blue eyes away from the brutal spectacle, watching with growing concern as her former childhood friend struggled in the enemy's grasp. "Me neither," she breathed out, unaware that she'd been holding the oxygen in her dainty lungs.

Shikamaru was just as concerned as his teammates, sweat dripping down his forehead as a thin line stretched across his lips. "Naruto and Sasuke's team are down; we saw what happened to Lee and Pītā's nowhere in sight. Sakura's all on her own, against three very nasty looking ninja… unless…" he evaluated, trailing off as he tore his gaze away from a distressed friend in need.

His charcoal black eyes settled on a confused Ino, she simply blinked and quirked a blonde eyebrow in response. "Unless what?" The vain girl parroted back, forcing her analytical peer to roll his eyes and sigh.

"Unless we do something about it, even the odds or so to speak." He spelled it out for her, something Shikamaru felt he had to do constantly.

Ino offered him nothing but a blank stare in response, almost as if the girl was lost in another place and not stuck in the horror that was the Forest of Death. "If we don't do something now, she's as good as dead. I know I wouldn't be able to live with myself, would you?" Shikamaru argued, earning a nod of agreement—albeit a shaky one— from Chōji.

Once again, the Genin received no response. Shikamaru shifted slightly to look past Ino and over at his male teammate, Chōji shrugged as he didn't know what to make of the girl's sudden quiet attitude. Neither one of them minded her less bombastic demeanour but also knew that something must have been wrong for her to be so quiet, something serious.

Unbeknownst to both Shikamaru and Chōji, Ino was lost in her own little world as she ignored either of her teammates and looked towards Sakura once again. Her thoughts raced as her mind cycled back to simpler days, safer days, days in which everything was still so beautiful and pure. Early on in their Academy days, back when they still had trouble spelling let alone training to become ninja.

Ino recalled the first time she'd met Sakura, how quiet, meek and sheltered she'd been, a far cry from the girl of the present. She remembered how the other girls used to tease Sakura for the size of her forehead, which admittedly wasn't that big of a deal, even though Ino loved to poke and prod her about it so much. She'd been the one to gift Sakura with a bow, in order to pull her pretty pink hair back and own her large forehead.

Sakura, much like her namesake, blossomed almost immediately and Ino watched as she opened up to the other students, the other girls and boys. But namely, Ino watched as Sakura opened up to one boy in particular. The very reason the two of them were no longer friends and instead rivals, Sasuke Uchiha. It seemed silly in retrospect, sillier now that neither of them spent any time with Sasuke anymore.

But there was still that lingering grudge, that feeling of competition, the constant need to attempt to one-up each other at every turn. Not dissimilar to the way Naruto and Sasuke approached one another, more so in the former's case though. They'd all grown up together, love or hate each other; they'd been a part of each other's lives since they were children.

Was Ino really going to sit by and let Sakura be tortured? Could she do that? Was she capable of such an inhuman inaction?

Ino blinked as a hand snapped its finger in front of her, pulling her from yesteryear and thrusting her back into the now. "Ino! Hey, Ino!" Once again, the ever present voice of reason for their little ragtag group, Shikamaru had to keep his voice down as he yelled right into her ear.

The bleach blonde haired Kunoichi almost slammed into Chōji as she seized up, spinning around to face her annoying ally as she furiously rubbed her ear. "What?!" She harshly whispered back, doing nothing to phase Shikamaru's stern expression.

It was appropriately serious; they were dealing with a matter of literal life and death after all. "You saw what those ninja are capable of! If we went out there, we'd just be dying alongside her… right?" Ino attempted to excuse herself, offering weak reasoning.

At least, it was weak in Shikamaru's opinion. "For once, I'd rather we do that than turn tail and run." He bluntly responded, recognizing that his team wasn't exactly the bravest one ever to grace Konoha with its presence.

Ino was taken aback, Chōji stayed silent though inwardly agreed. "Are you saying I'm a coward?" She quizzed back in an accusatory manner, placing both of her hands on her lithe waist.

Shikamaru resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose; she really had a habit of making everything about her. "I'm saying we're all cowards, and we're not going to get far as ninja if we have to have a long drawn out discussion on whether or not we should save a friend's life." He pointed out, owning up to the fact that he too sometimes looked for the easy way out.

Ino was once again surprised by his honesty, except she was at a complete loss for words the second time around. "I mean, we get that you and Sakura aren't exactly the best of pals but… we should at least try, right?" Chōji chimed in, a very rare occurrence.

And Ino didn't have a good enough retort, if the boy who was more concerned with eating was willing to put his life on the line, then what was her excuse? Truth of the matter was Ino didn't have one, she wanted one but she just didn't have one. The girl swallowed the lump in her throat as she had to come to terms with the fact that Shikamaru and Chōji were right, even with all of the personal drama between her and Sakura, that didn't change the fact that they were Leaf ninja.

Fellow Leaf ninja, childhood friends… they were quite literally on the same side, Chūnin Exams aside.

"Fine, but if we die, I'm holding the two of you responsible." Ino relented; about to grip both of her comrades when she noticed they were ignoring her and had instead redirected their attention to the scene beyond the bushes.

Sakura was crying, tears spilling down her dirtied cheeks and staining her torn red dress. Blood was beginning to slowly trickle from her hair, running down her pale forehead and headed directly for her squinting eyes. With the way Kin was dragging her about by her hair, the three spectators could only guess that she was tearing those pink locks right out of her head.

The girl felt weak and powerless, not for the first time in her life but it truly began to set in just how outclassed she was. She had so much work to do, so much more ground to cover. She'd never been in a physical fight in her life that wasn't a friendly spar within the safe confines of the Leaf Village's walls; she'd never experienced the reckless brutality of it all.

It wasn't glamorous, wasn't anything to be proud of. But fights needed to be fought and battles needed to be won, Sakura wasn't carrying out any of these tasks. She'd tried, but failed miserably. Her arms ached, felt like deadweight hanging by her torso, reaching up every now and then to attempt to pry her attacker's fingers from her hair.

Her hair, one of Sakura's most cherished things in life. She spent hours brushing it in the mornings, so much time devoted to making it immaculate, making sure it was tidy and presentable. And all for what? All for who? Sasuke Uchiha, the boy it always came back down to. Ever since Sakura had learnt that the orphan supposedly preferred long haired girls, she'd grown it out and kept it at such a length, hoping to catch his striking black eyes.

"You might want to consider cutting your hair; it's very pretty but not particularly useful on the battlefield. If anything, it'll be used against you." She recalled Kakashi-Sensei's calm and welcoming tone, merely suggesting that she think about it.

Sakura remembered the quizzical expression she'd worn as she replied, looking up at him with wondrous green eyes. "What do you mean, sensei?" They'd been making their way back home after journeying to the Land of Waves, Naruto and Pītā had cut ahead to naturally goof off.

Kakashi-Sensei peaked out from the book he was reading, the book he was always reading whenever he found a good enough excuse. "Long hair, good to grab onto. In my experience, at least. Of course, you could always tie it back—perhaps into a bun—if you don't want to cut it." He imparted, his single visible eye half-lidded as he gazed down at one of his charges.

In all honesty, Sakura had forgotten about the entire back and forth. She'd been so preoccupied with making herself look presentable that function and practicality hadn't even occurred to her, which was funny really as it was all she could think about at that precise moment.

Sakura's jaw was clenched so tight she felt it could've snapped at any moment, her teeth grinding together as pain and exhaustion hit her in waves. "I… should've done this earlier," she murmured to herself, reaching down into the pouch on her waist to retrieve a spare kunai knife.

Kin noticed the movement, tensing up when her eyes caught the shining glint of steel. "What're you planning on doing with that, precious? You gonna cut me?" She goaded, a smug smirk lining her lips as the girl's blood coated the pigmentation of the skin on her hand.

Sakura took a deep breath; her mother, Mebuki, was going to kill her. "It's not meant for you," she cryptically informed her torturer, her tone somewhat sinister as she held the kunai high.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Sakura swept the blade across her vibrant pink hair, Ino's sky blue eyes were glued to the scene and Kin was too stunned to really react in time. A swift slice of the handheld weapon and Sakura felt the pressure built up around her head suddenly vanish, leaving nothing but lingering pain and the trauma that came with it behind.

The girl felt snippets of hair lightly land on her shoulders, falling all around her as she stared ahead, the tears in her eyes clearing up somewhat but leaving behind the white streaks on her cheeks. Kin involuntarily felt her grip loosen and she watched the handful of dead hair fall and drift to the grass and soil below, now without an owner.

Ino felt her jaw drop, she'd just witnessed Sakura do the unthinkable. "She… she cut her hair," she managed to force through the lump in her throat, too enraptured by the sight before her to pay any mind to her teammates.

Shikamaru and Chōji were just as surprised, not as shell-shocked but even they knew that Sakura took great pride in her hair. "Unbelievable," the former muttered beneath his breath, before he and his friends seized up once more.

Sakura had made use of the mild distraction and span around, slashing her kunai knife right across Kin's shin. "Agh! You little—!" She began, retaliating by reaching into her own pouch on her waist and fetching her own weapon of choice.

Sakura forward rolled, avoiding the handful of senbon streaking her way. She hastily, exhaustedly, climbed to her feet and scrambled forward, unable to notice Dosu headed right for her. The boy used his larger frame to shoulder barge the girl to the ground, she hit it like dead weight but to Dosu, felt as light as a feather.

The Sound leader was about to advance forward, kill the unexpectedly problematic girl himself but heard movement above. Without a word, Dosu darted backwards and out of the path of a handful of shuriken. Glancing back the girl's way, he narrowed his eyes as three more newcomers stood between him and the annoying pest that had been plaguing them for the past hour.

"You've gotta be kidding me," Zaku deadpanned, still nursing his busted nose on account of the girl in the red dress.

Dosu stood to his full height, still hunched over admittedly. "At first I thought it was kind of novel, these kids coming out of the woodwork to protect their friend. But now… now these Genin are really starting to try my patience." He spoke honestly, his calm tone losing out to a more vicious edge.

Kin felt inclined to agree, staring at yet another pretty little princess, except this one happened to have been a blonde. "This was supposed to be a simple job," she expressed, though wasn't answered by any one of her teammates.

The answer came from one of the new Leaf ninja, the boy with the dark coloured ponytail. "Nothing simple about it," Shikamaru pointed out, their little menial task had morphed into something that was skewing wildly out of control.

Despite gritting his teeth beneath the mass of bandages covering his face, Dosu happened to agree with the enemy. They'd been sent to kill Sasuke, to dispose of him by their master, Orochimaru. They'd kept their distance for an entire night, they'd painstakingly watched the girl's every move, watched her lay out several traps and care for her friends even through the dark of night. She'd been alone the entire time, no-one else to interfere.

It could've been quick, it could've been clean. But it was a mess, a big stinking mess and it was only getting messier. Drawing in flocks of noisy, nosy Genin, prolonging the fight and even in a worst case scenario, evening the odds in the girl's favour. At this rate, Sasuke was going to die of old age before any one of them would've gotten to kill him.

Sakura just barely managed to lift her head, twitching and shaking with every laboured movement. Her glittering emerald eyes—the one Dosu had struck was swelling up something fierce—scanned the three ninja standing in front of her, their backs were turned towards her but they seemed to have been protecting her from the Oto-nin. It was odd really, the girl felt so weak, so spent, that she must've been seeing things.

It was funny; the first person she expected to see in her hallucinations was Pītā Pākā. Instead, someone out there in the ether was playing a cruel trick on her. Ino Yamanaka, the Kunoichi's rival, had placed herself between a very real threat and the sorriest looking sight she'd ever seen. There was no mistaking it; Sakura must've been experiencing some kind of sick twisted vision. Either that or she'd finally succumbed to her exhaustion, to the ridiculously poor physical state she'd been left in.

In that moment, Sakura didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "I… I-Ino?" She weakly whispered, her voice strained and barely audible.

However, as if by some miracle, the notoriously arrogant blonde heard her pitiful whimper. "Just be quiet and stay down, we'll take things from here." The bright blue eyed Genin sternly told her peer, sweat dripping down the side of her face as she balled her fists.

Chōji was feeling the pressure too; he just had a much more obvious way of showing it as he swallowed the lump in his throat. "She's right, Sakura. Blunt, but right." Shikamaru on the other hand, was doing his best to back his teammate's words up.

He was just as scared as Chōji, so was Ino probably. They just couldn't show it, couldn't risk the enemy assuming them to be some filthy weaklings not even worth a second glance. It had already happened with Neji Hyūga, the boy hadn't seen them as a potential threat so didn't even bother challenging them for their scroll. Shikamaru was having a hard time forgetting the way he'd looked at them before he left them alone with their own insecurities, those cold lavender eyes staring into their very soul and coming to the conclusion that they were nothing to him.

That was when Shikamaru had realized his entire team was built up of cowards, and he didn't like it one bit. It had taken guts to jump in on a fight that had nothing to do with them, real honest to God cowards would've turned tail and ran as far as their chicken legs could've carried them.

Instead, they held firm, drawing the ire of the bullies teaming up on a scared, vulnerable girl. "I don't know what you think you're going to accomplish with this little stunt but I'm going to give you a chance here, it _is_ the courteous thing to do after all. Turn around and walk away, this matter does not concern you." Dosu stepped forward, still hunched over as he held his arms up in a diplomatic manner.

Chōji felt his teeth suddenly start chattering, a regular occurrence whenever his fear got the best of him. "I know I was on board with this at first but… anybody else having second thoughts?" The large boy weakly queried, his voice breaking with every word uttered.

Shikamaru had to suppress an eye roll, his friend's bravery shrinking by the second. "You're out here with us, too late to turn back now. Might as well commit, Chōji." He casually suggested, earning a torn look in return.

The Akimichi boy was struggling to decide whether to stay and protect their peer or simply dive back into the bushes with his tail between his legs, Ino on the other hand ignored his heel turn altogether. "What do you mean it doesn't concern us? You're out here beating on our friend and it doesn't concern us? Don't make me laugh, pal." She gloated, arms folded and even throwing in a fake laugh for good measure.

A wounded Sakura perked up at the sound of her voice, even if it could sometimes sound like nails on a chalkboard. "F-friend…?" She repeated, confusion fraught in her beaten features as her mind raced.

Since when had Ino considered her a friend? To Sakura's knowledge, they hadn't been on good terms for years but now, they were friends again? The pink haired girl kept quiet on the matter as she stayed there, sat in the grass and dirt and struggling to keep herself upright. Her arms were shaking, partly from the brisk breeze blowing through the clearing and partly because they were so sore, aching with every careful movement she made. Physically, she'd never felt so spent, so wasted.

Dosu let a laugh escape his lips, just barely able to break through the sound barrier of the bandages covering most of his face. "Quite the loudmouth, aren't you? It's a shame that your large friend doesn't share your bravado," he observed, noticing a stark difference in demeanour between the blonde girl and the rotund boy dressed in layers.

Ino frowned as she side-eyed Chōji, who had taken to shaking like a leaf now that he was faced with actual danger. "Aww, what's wrong? Fatty having second thoughts?" Zaku—unlike his unofficial leader—was much more direct with his words, grinning smugly as he went straight for the throat.

Teasing the boy about his weight, which was a childish thing to do but he didn't particularly care. Everything was fair game in a fight, right? There were no rules in a battle between Shinobi, except maybe… to the death. Shikamaru and Ino seized up as soon as they'd heard the insult, the former had honestly been expecting it and was just waiting for it to show its ugly face.

Still didn't lessen the impact, not for him and definitely not for Chōji. "What did you just say? I wanna make sure I heard you right," the frizzy haired brunette quietly grilled, his squinting eyes narrowing as they burned into his ebony haired opponent.

Zaku unfolded his arm, laughing awkwardly as he shifted underneath the oddly piercing glare of the Leaf rookie. "I said… are you scared, fatso?" He repeated, though with less confidence and much more trepidation.

For good reason too, if Shikamaru and Ino's wide eyed expressions were anything to go by. "Chōji? You all right, man?" The former checked in with his buddy, a boy he'd known since their early days at the Academy.

He knew, as did everyone else, that Chōji was exceedingly sensitive about his weight. It really wasn't that big of a deal, it wasn't as if anybody cared about it seeing as how they were all twelve years old. But still, the insecurity was there clear as day. Even with such a self-conscious attitude, Chōji had never really had to deal with someone openly mocking him for his weight. Even Pītā, the kid that teased everyone for everything, never mentioned Chōji's weight.

The pretty girl and boy genius' oddly quiet teammate held up a bandaged hand, his entire body having ceased in its shaking. "Just… a little ticked off," he replied to his virtually lifelong friend's concern, his voice low and lacking any sense of fear.

Shikamaru knew that look; Chōji was just about ready to explode. "So… you're staying?" Ino raised her pale blonde eyebrows, watching with baited breath as the lad's bandaged wrapped hands balled into fists.

"You couldn't pay me to leave, not now." Chōji glowered, his temper rising as he stood rooted to the spot.

Shikamaru suddenly felt a little more confident in this little fight of theirs, arching an eyebrow as a smirk tugged at his lips. "That's one way of convincing him," he reasoned, taking his charcoal black eyes off of his teammates and levelling his gaze at the enemy once again.

Ino chanced a glance back underneath her arm, spying a weakened Sakura grovelling on the ground. "Sakura, Sasuke and his team's not doing so well. Protect them… and Naruto too, I guess." She trailed off, earning a simple yet confused nod in return.

Judging by the state of her, the red dressed rookie probably had no clue what day it was. "Okay, boys, let's show these rejects who they're messing with! Formation: Ino!" The purple adorned preteen called out, glancing at both her allies as she did so.

Shikamaru nodded in response, she was calling on them to execute their most effective battle technique. "Shika!" The tactician of his little squad yelled, his usually annoyed demeanour hardening at the prospect of a legitimately dangerous threat.

"Chō!" The boy bellowed, completing their unorthodox battle cry.

The blonde lass wearing the tube top took a step back as she eyed the person that had spoken last, gesturing to the vibrant green grass before them. "You're up first, Chōji." Ino informed her larger than life teammate, letting him have the floor.

The brunette did just that, taking a defiant step forward. "Expansion Jutsu!" He didn't dally; forming a hand sign and letting his Chakra do all of the work.

Eliciting quite the stunned reaction from virtually everyone present, save for his two close friends, Chōji had suddenly expanded in size. "Okay… what?" The confused reply slipped past Zaku's lips as his arms unfolded themselves, head tilting backwards as his gaze followed the kid's sudden growth spurt.

Chōji's frame had gotten bigger, not just bigger but wider too. So wide, he resembled a human bowling ball more than he did an actual human being. His clothes had also stretched to fit around his enormous size, silent sighs of relief all around as everyone had half expected his clothes to have simply torn off of him.

Judging by Dosu's lone wide eye, he was fairly bewildered as well. "Everyone is seeing what I'm seeing, right?" He queried, his subtle and subdued tone reaching the ears of his Sound-kin.

The one to answer his conundrum was unable to take her eyes off of the towering boy too; she'd never seen anything quite like it. "Yep," Kin confirmed, urging a slow nod from her team leader.

"Just checking," he murmured through the muffled barrier of dirtied bandages covering his mouth, feeling the overwhelming urge to swallow the lump growing in his throat.

Both Ino and Shikamaru exchanged a look of confidence, they might not have looked like much but they had a few surprising tricks up their sleeves too. "Leaf Style Taijutsu!" Chōji on the other hand, glared down at the now tiny Oto-nin before him.

As if growing in size wasn't enough, Chōji's arms, legs and head made themselves scarce and retreated beneath his clothing, not unlike a turtle. Keeping the crazy train going, blue Chakra began to stream out of the five openings and into the open forest air. Dosu, Zaku and Kin were once again unsure of what they were witnessing. Ino and Shikamaru knew full well what came next while Sakura… well; Sakura could barely show her dumbfounded expression on account of her eye slowly swelling up.

Chōji wasn't done, not by a longshot. "Human Boulder Jutsu!" A roar came from within the human-like ball as it started to spin on the spot, consistently gathering momentum like a stationary wheel.

Until it finally left its charge, bolting right at Zaku in particular like a force of nature. "Not that I'm complaining or anything but… this is probably the weirdest fight I've ever been part of," he smirked to his teammates, that bravado and bluster returning to him as he raised his arms in preparation.

"Slicing Sound Wave!" The raven haired sound user yelled at the top of his lungs, firing two solid streams of pressurised sound and air right at the Genin cannonball.

Miraculously, the concussive force of the attack was just enough to completely grind Chōji to a halt. Zaku grinned, his arms still held up as they managed to hold the seemingly unstoppable Jutsu at bay. Until Chōji stopped advancing forward and instead launched himself straight into the air, completely jumping his streams. Ino and Shikamaru had to quickly move, the former grabbing Sakura and diving out of harm's way with her.

The specialized sound Jutsu ceased as Zaku's directed his gaze skyward, towards the forest's thick impenetrable canopy anyway. "Don't just gawk like a slack-jawed idiot, move!" Dosu forced his usually quiet tone to heightened levels, making a break for his stunned teammate.

He would've made it too, had some unseen force not completely stopped him in his tracks. Not just stopped his legs, but every single part of his body. Dosu found himself unable to move, his limbs disobeying every mental command his brain sent their way. He was frozen like a statue; much like Zaku except fear wasn't the cause.

"Shadow Possession Jutsu, you never fail." Shikamaru whispered to himself, every ounce of his focus aimed squarely at his brand new puppet.

Dosu's panicked lone eye met Shikamaru's calculating stare before moving downward, spying the long stretched out shadow that had snaked its way from the Leaf ninja and reached all the way over to his own. "Now you? What is with you two?" Kin blurted out, her annoyance getting the better of her as both of her teammates had proven to be quite useless.

Dosu appeared to be nothing but a rigid figurine, moving ever so slightly only when Shikamaru would do the same. "I'm… not myself, some sort of paralysis Jutsu, it must be." He reasoned, calming down enough to put his mind through its paces and figure out just what was affecting him.

Zaku's survival instincts finally kicked in and he just barely managed to dive right out of the impact zone of Chōji's Human Boulder Jutsu, rolling with his momentum and watching the enemy come around for another pass.

Their team leader's puppeteer didn't bother taking his eyes off of his dance partner, but he addressed the girl beside him all the same. "Girl's all yours, Ino." Shikamaru remarked, earning a compliant nod from the blonde preteen.

"So generous… just make sure nothing happens to my beautiful body while I'm gone," Ino advised, more of a warning than anything else.

Something Shikamaru was used to at this point, a dry smirk just barely pulling at his lips. "And risk you screaming my ear off? Not worth the hassle," he answered, all of his attention still devoted to Dosu's static figure.

Ino didn't bother replying, she knew he wasn't dumb enough to ignore her. "Ninja Art: Mind Transfer Jutsu!" The twelve year old called out, holding both of her hands together to form a hand sign as she zoned in on the only female member of the Sound squad.

Kin's curiosity got the best of her as she locked eyes with the short blonde dressed in purple, bottomless ebony mingling with ice cold blue. The older, more experienced ninja couldn't explain it. She just… felt compelled to look at the girl, unable to tear her gaze away and focus on something else, anything else.

Kin's pupils dilated and Ino's concentrated expression was wiped right off of her face as her eyes slammed shut, Shikamaru was on standby with his arms held open, just waiting to catch her. Having to divide his focus between Dosu and Ino was tricky but he was able to manage just fine, the guy calling the shots for their team of cutthroats was still unable to move a muscle.

The raven haired lad did just as requested, keeping Ino's unconscious body close as she went to work in her target of choice. "Kin? Don't just stand there, do something!" Zaku, still having trouble with a rampaging Chōji, berated the weakest member of their team… he thought so anyway.

Dosu narrowed his lone visible eye, while he didn't have the ability to move, he was still in a position to see his teammate. "Kin?" He uttered her voice just as his peer had, though his tone carried far less vitriol and far more concern.

The anxious leader of the Sound trio received an answer as Kin's head suddenly snapped up, a triumphant smile etched onto her lips. "Quite the turn of events, huh, boys?" She mocked, her voice failing to carry the same edge both Zaku and Dosu were used to.

It was more light hearted, a little whiny in all honesty and that was not the no-nonsense girl that they knew. "You're not her," Dosu observed, without missing so much as a beat as Zaku skewed his sweating brow in confusion.

Their possessed friend smirked, before she abruptly whipped her kunai knife from the holster on her thigh. "No sudden movements or else your little gal pal here gets it in the neck," she warned, addressing the dark haired boy that was actually able to move as she brought the piece of steel within a hair's width of her throat.

Dosu almost wanted to laugh though, hearing such harsh and uncaring words from nothing but a child. "I've had the chance to study the kind of ninja that hails from your village, what they're capable of and how far they're willing to go to get what they want. I can honestly say with the utmost confidence that you're bluffing, you don't have the spine to drag that knife across her throat." He hit right back, his tone taking a turn for the dark as the possessed Kin faltered slightly.

Regardless, she held firm and forced the lump growing in her throat to retreat. "You willing to bet her life on that?" The Leaf Genin using Kin as her own personal marionette challenged Dosu's calm response, furrowing her brow and tightening her grip on the blade held against her throat.

Dosu was sure, he was positive that the worm that had infested his friend's mind would not be able to back up her words. But it still wasn't enough, still wasn't good enough for him. Setting his bandage covered jaw, Dosu answered with a silent shake of the head. Truth was, he wasn't willing to bet Kin's life on one of his many hunches. He was cold hearted; sometimes he was capable of such cruelty but… not to one of his own, especially not his second in command.

Zaku on the other hand, he was the kind of person that had no qualms about hurting someone. "I've had just about enough of these brats and their empty threats," even if that someone just happened to be one of his teammates, regardless of whether she was possessed or not.

He wasted no time in raising one of his arms and letting a jet of pressurised air do the rest of the work, the virtually invisible concussive force was headed straight for Kin. "What're you doing?! She's our teammate! Our friend!" Dosu attempted to move, he did more than that, he strained every single fibre of his being in his efforts to save the girl.

Shikamaru felt a single drop of sweat roll down his forehead as he contemplated letting Dosu save her and he might have, but just chancing another look at a downtrodden Sakura swayed him away from such mercy. Three of them had beaten her black and blue, no doubt relished in the girl's pain. Just thinking about what Sakura had had to suffer through alone put things into clear perspective for the strategist, he wasn't letting Dosu do anything he didn't want him to do.

"Chōji!" Kin's panicked tone gave a voice to Ino's thoughts, allowing her to desperately call out to her teammate.

Alas, the attack was simply too fast, moving at such a speed that it barely registered to the naked eye. To his credit, Chōji did try to intercept the force and actually managed to sponge some of the impact away from the attack before it hit Kin. But it did land, and Kin's body was thrown directly into the solid and unyielding trunk of a towering tree. Everyone heard the impact, especially the acutely aware Dosu. He watched as Kin dropped to the grass ground and crumpled to the floor and then listened, tuning everything else out to focus and search for something.

Dosu sighed in relief as the slow methodical beating of Kin's heart thumped against his sensitive ear drums, he was actually thankful that Chōji—who'd been knocked right out of his Human Boulder Jutsu and sent spinning to the floor—had shielded her from some of the attack. Dosu knew that Zaku's Slicing Sound Wave was strong enough to reduce solid rock to rubble, there was no doubt she'd have been ripped apart had it fully connected.

Kin's body trembled as she struggled to raise her head, fighting against the simple force of gravity to not face plant the ground as blood slowly trickled from her mouth. "What… what is wrong with you? You—you attacked me… you attacked her, what kind of psycho does that? What kind of monster hurts their own teammate?" Her voice broke as tears threatened to burst from her eyes; she'd never been hit so hard in her entire short life.

Unfortunately, there was a downside to Ino's Mind Transfer Jutsu. While she was able to assume control of a person's body and literally inhabit every aspect of their existence, she was still linked to that person. So whatever injuries or damage her new body sustained, her original body reflected them. So, Shikamaru was met with the sight of a thin line of blood leaking from Ino's closed mouth, drawing a look of concern into his usually annoyed features.

The girl's attacker rose to his feet, a little worn out from all of the dodging he'd had to do in order to avoid the fat member of their little gang. "I've been called worse things," he cracked a grin, something which only served to make Kin and by extension Ino feel sicker than she already did.

Dosu on the other hand, was trembling with anger. "For your sake, she better be all right." He warned, communicating the building rage within the only way he could, through his razor sharp voice.

Zaku dared to offer the trapped boy an over exaggerated roll of the eyes, shaking his head as he placed a hand on his waist. "Would you shut up? God, you're choosing now to grow a conscious? All I did was soften her up a little, she's a tough girl, she can take it." He reasoned, though in all honesty, didn't particularly care.

He'd never liked Kin, Dosu knew this full well. He just hadn't expected him to act on those feelings, though in retrospect, probably should have. Zaku was a loose cannon through and through, Dosu had been hesitant at the prospect of working with him ever since Orochimaru had brought him back to Otogakure with him. But as he'd had to learn the hard way, going against the Shinin's word meant he was questioning his loyalty and that… that was a big no-no back home.

It didn't help that the sound manipulator felt so powerless, so vulnerable. "You're playing a very dangerous game here, Zaku." The teenager couldn't even ball his fists, not with his every movement being controlled by the enemy.

Zaku shrugged, not very intimidated by his unofficial leader's warnings. "Good thing I'm liable to win then, right?" He smiled, a smug smile that only served to boil Dosu's blood all the more.

It was like that for a solid moment, Dosu and Zaku simply staring at one another as if they were the ones who were about to fight. As if they'd been at each other's throats all along, as if the surrounding Leaf Genin weren't even present. Their little staring contest—Zaku's smug demeanour challenging Dosu's stony exterior—ended as an irritated voice spoke up, pulling their attention away from each other and towards it.

"What do you even want here? All you've accomplished is pushing a bunch of rookies around, what could possibly be worth all of this effort? Is it the scrolls? You really want their scrolls this badly?" The sharp kid—sharpest kid present—speculated as he held a lifeless Ino in his arms, all the while struggling to maintain a hold on Dosu.

In fact, Dosu was starting to feel whatever technique had been used him on start to slip. "We've no interest in your trivial competition… Genin, Chūnin, it's all the same to us. Pointless ranks that ultimately mean nothing in the end," he answered stoically, doing nothing to give away the fact that he was wiggling his toes to confirm his suspicions.

Unfortunately, Shikamaru was too busy trying to focus to pay attention to the fact that Dosu was almost free. "You're monologuing, get to the point." He bluntly shot back; slicing Dosu's thought process clean in half.

He didn't need to elaborate though as a weak, trembling tone pitched in for him. "It's Sasuke, Shikamaru. For whatever reason, they want Sasuke." Sakura croaked, it just hurt to even talk at that point.

Zaku arched an eyebrow, showing a little teeth as he smirked. "She gets it," he snidely remarked, earning a look of disgust from the injured girl.

Unfortunately, Shikamaru's luck as well as his Chakra finally ran out as his long cast shadow separated itself from Dosu's and began to slowly recede back underneath him. "Ah, crap." The boy crudely murmured, the one point of advantage they'd held over the enemy now being non-existent.

Though, he didn't have to divide his attention between keeping a hold of Dosu and supporting a lifeless and rather heavy Ino anymore. "Finally… I'm already severely pissed off as it is, being able to scratch my nose again almost makes up for that. That's an intriguing Jutsu, though you're not skilled enough to hold it long, are you?" He questioned, cracking his neck and moving his arms all in an effort to loosen himself up once more.

Shikamaru didn't answer; he didn't want to give away any kind of information to the enemy. "And your sleeping friend… is she sleeping? I've never seen such a Jutsu so forgive me for my ignorance but she can… what? Invade a person's mind? Assume control of their body? Very underhanded, my kind of technique. But also very dangerous apparently, whatever happens to Kin seems to have a similar effect on her." Dosu observed, his curiosity getting the best of him in such an inappropriate situation.

Often the voice of reason for Team 10, Shikamaru may have jumped to conclusions as he reflexively held Ino just that little bit tighter. "You wouldn't dare," he challenged, earning a vague look of confusion from Dosu.

He hadn't insinuated that he would harm Kin to get to Ino, had he? Perhaps he was being a little bit too blunt, a little bit too broad. There was no situation where he would forsake the life of his friend in order to take another, it just seemed completely ridiculous to him to even consider such a thing. Zaku on the other hand, he was the type of person who was more than willing to trade one life for the chance to kill another.

"You're right, _he_ wouldn't." Zaku grinned menacingly as he raised his arm yet again, aiming his open palm square at a downed Kin.

Dosu immediately tensed up, his teeth grinding together as he whipped his head over at his psychopathic teammate. "Have you forgotten that I'm no longer trapped? Lower the arm, Zaku. Do not make me have to tell you a second time," he warned, voice dripping with very clear violent intent.

And while Zaku had brushed off his leader's advice last time, he wasn't feeling very cocky as the realization that Dosu could very much move hit him. "Heh… just trying to scare them, that's all." He excused himself; slowing lowering his arm and offering the Sound-nin covered in bandages a friendly smile.

Dosu did not return it and if Zaku could've seen his lips, he would've gotten a full view of the thinnest line he'd ever seen. The teenager was not smiling, he didn't see any reason to as a boy he maybe thought he could trust at one point threatened to murder their teammate right in front of him… for a second time.

Honestly, at that point in the fight, Dosu wouldn't have cared if Zaku had been killed. He couldn't find the compassion for Kin, so why should've Dosu felt for him? The sound manipulator pondered that very question as he studied Zaku, his nose still very much broken, courtesy of the petit girl with the pink hair.

Shikamaru had no idea what was going on anymore, there was very clearly some kind of discourse amidst the ranks of the Oto trio. So much so that every now and then, it seemed the two boys left standing were more preoccupied with each other than their supposed enemy. The genius was seriously considering just grabbing Naruto, Sasuke, Sai, Yakumo, Ino and simply hightailing it out of there with Sakura and Chōji.

He might have, had the latter not stumbled right up to Shikamaru with the demeanour of a town drunk. "My head's still spinning, what'd I miss?" The big boned boy pestered as he re-joined Shikamaru and an unconscious Ino, drawing an irritated sigh from his pal.

"You missed us retake the field, tubby. Your little stunt distracted us, nothing more." Zaku's attention once again found the younger Leaf Genin, yet another jab at his weight only serving to fill him with anger.

Not that he could've done anything about it; his Human Boulder Jutsu had taken quite a lot out of him. "And once again, we've come full circle. Both of our teams are a member down, but you two have spent most of your Chakra on your individual techniques. I've barely made a move and Zaku here… he's still begging for a fight, are you going to give it to him or shall we call it a day?" Dosu queried, quite politely all things considered.

As much as he hated it, he had to admit that it was quite admirable. How these kids had found their way to the fight, first the boy garbed in green and then an entire team of… less than ideal ninja. All in an effort to… what? Protect their friend? At first, Dosu found it annoying as it was inhibiting his progress in his mission to dispose of Sasuke. But after Kin… after seeing her in just a third of the sorry state the Sakura girl was in, he was starting to sympathize with these children.

But… he had his orders and no amount of 'feelings' were going to change that, it just went against everything he'd been taught.

Dosu was about to move in for the kill, maybe not the kill but he was going to do whatever was necessary in order to reach Sasuke. "We'll do no such thing," he would have, had yet another voice not halted him in his tracks.

Zaku wanted to tear his hair out, had they really been that loud? Had they really made that much noise? How many friends did these kids have? Both Sound boys directed their gazes toward the source of the voice, high in the dense trees of the forest surrounding the clearing. A boy—perhaps older than the three-man squads but maybe around the same age as the kid in green spandex—stood with his arms firmly crossed, a thin line carved into his lips and a no-nonsense furrowed brow perched above his eyes.

He possessed long flowing ebony hair tied back into a ponytail and skin paler than any of the girls they'd fought but again, those eyes were the features that stood out the most. Neji Hyūga stood atop a massive wooden tree branch, stoically surveying the small meadow that had become a makeshift battlefield. He did not look happy, though… did he ever look happy?

"Lee's team… finally," the first to speak was also the unlikeliest as Sakura muttered to herself beneath her breath, just barely managing to recognize Neji through her swollen eye.

"Lee!" Another voice called out, a voice of the female variety which carried much more concern than the first did.

Everybody had been so focused on Neji that they'd completely missed the girl crouched by his legs, worry fraught in her big brown eyes as her attention was immediately drawn to the prone boy lying in the middle of the clearing, his dark green clothes contrasting with the light green blades of grass. Tenten Tanaka, her features much easier to read than her completely emotionless teammate, almost felt tempted to forsake any sense of formality in combat and just leap to Lee's aid.

Neji didn't have to look her way to pick up on it; she always seemed to be worried about the overenthusiastic buffoon. "He's unconscious but beaten… badly; he was in way over his head." The prodigy recognized, earning a perplexed look from his brunette friend.

A look he knew all too well, a look that practically screamed 'really?' without having to say a damn thing. "Save the lecture for after the fight, our missing teammate is down there and he's hurt." Tenten scolded him for saying such a callous thing; he could never resist the temptation to point out the faults in others.

Neji was about to argue but knew better, they would've gotten nowhere and they had more pressing matters to attend to. "Have it your way, Tenten. Shikamaru, Chōji, stand down. We'll take it from here… Byakugan!" The boy activated his clan's famed kekkei genkai, the veins near his temples bulging as his lavender tinted eyes widened and scanned everything in a fifty metre radius.

Dosu's own visible lone eye twitched with anticipation as it stared right into the bottomless abyss of Neji's orbs, so enraptured by it yet disturbed in equal measure. "He's… seeing right through us," he noted, forcing a look of disgust from his male teammate.

"Gross," Zaku bluntly remarked, not understanding what the big deal was.

Unbeknownst to him, the big deal was that Neji was able to see the Chakra Pathway System of everyone present. Nobody was able to escape the penetrating gaze of the Byakugan; it was fruitless to even try. Neji's intimidating glower was drawn to the slumbering forms of Naruto, Sasuke, Sai and Yakumo, still safely tucked away within the alcove-like roots of a gigantic tree. More specifically, they were drawn to Sasuke.

Nobody else had taken notice of it, the unusual abundance of Chakra seeping right out of the stirring boy. Except… it was no normal Chakra, there was something wrong with it. Something Neji had never seen before and something that genuinely garnered his interest, which was a rare occurrence itself. He didn't know what was happening with Sasuke but it couldn't be denied, a severely bad feeling was beginning to creep up Neji's neck.

"Earth to Neji… we're missing someone, where'd Pītā run off to?" Tenten snapped her short tempered friend out of the sudden stupor he'd just been in, demanding his attention for a moment.

Neji was reminded of the unwanted tag along he'd had to endure on their journey to find their friends, he remembered getting into a shouting match with Tenten over it while the fever ridden lad dunked his furnace-hot head into the nearest forest stream. He hadn't been happy about it, he thought he'd made himself perfectly clear to Tenten that he didn't want a stranger slowing them down.

Tenten being Tenten, refused to budge on the matter. Though, the spider had proved himself quite useful. As soon as he'd cooled himself down, he'd somehow led them straight to their missing allies, without so much as a wrong turn. It was curious, as if he'd known where they were all along but then… what would've been the point in recruiting them to aid him?

Neji was roused from his ramblings as yet another Chakra signature caught his all-encompassing eyes, forcing him to gaze skyward towards the thick canopy of the forest hanging aloft. The Hyūga genius knew it was Pītā, just watching the way the blue silhouette of fiery Chakra moved gave it away. He was crouched, hidden in the trees above and… waiting for the right moment to strike.

Neji recognised that the moment had come, both Sound ninjas' eyes locked firmly on him and Tenten. "He's making an entrance apparently," he cryptically stated, only serving to confuse his female companion.

Until Tenten followed Neji's searing gaze, noticing leaves rustle and branches snap in the foliage above them all. "Oh," she breathed out, rising out of her crouch to stand.

Something Dosu took note of, it didn't take a genius to figure out that something above them had caught their attention. "Move!" Though he too had heard movement above, the ruffling leaves and something grazing against the jagged bark of a tree.

At first he'd simply attributed it to birds leaving the nest or perhaps a panther stalking the trees for its next meal, a rookie mistake for someone like him. "What?! What're you doing?!" Zaku yelled as he watched Dosu sprint for a downed Kin, tucking and rolling with her out of harm's way.

Zaku just barely had enough sense left in him to jump as far as he could, escaping the crushing weight of a fallen tree trunk by mere inches. Shikamaru, Chōji, Neji, Tenten, Sakura, Dosu and Ino still stuck inside Kin's body all braced themselves as the loud booming sound of a collapsed tree resonated throughout the forest. Bushes, grass, anything that had even remotely been standing in its path had been completely flattened.

Zaku lay still on a soft bed of grass, his eyes as wide as saucers as the realization that he'd almost been under the tree hit him. When the dust finally settled, all eyes were drawn to the figure standing atop the colossal tree. Pītā smirked beneath his mask, he might've overdone it by dropping a tree onto the proceedings but it did make for one hell of a distraction.

"Is this a private party or can anyone… join… in…" the immediately familiar tone of the self-assured and cocky spider trailed off as he actually took a moment to focus on the scene, the mischievous smile carved into his lips disappearing altogether.

His eyes settled on the beaten form of an unconscious Rock Lee, the loudmouth girl he argued with frequently was passed out in Shikamaru's arms and bleeding from her mouth. Naruto and Sasuke's team were hidden away underneath the roots of a tree, unconscious but still relatively unharmed from what he was able to make out.

Though, even with so much to take in, Pītā's razor sharp sight was drawn to one thing above all else. The girl on her knees, her face covered in blood, one of her eyes swollen and bloodshot and probably the detail that caught him off guard the most. Sakura's hair had been cut somehow; it no longer reached down to the small of her back and had instead been hacked off just above the shoulders.

Even with her hazy vision, Sakura knew for certain that Pītā had finally found her. "Pītā?" She voiced her question to the air but in reality, she was simply trying to convince herself that he was actually standing there.

Pītā winced, he couldn't help it. The sheer sound of the girl's broken tone almost broke his heart, how desperate yet hopeful it sounded. He didn't hesitate, not one bit. It didn't take long for him to reach her, blurring across the clearing like a red and blue bullet. Once again, he couldn't fight his kneejerk reactions. The lad joined the girl on the grass ground, his knees keeping him steady as his hands immediately reached out to touch Sakura's face.

As if he was checking to make sure that she was real, that he hadn't succumbed to some kind of hallucination while still recovering from the effects of the snake venom lingering in his system. He didn't know what surprised him more, how soft her skin was after such a brutal beating or the way Sakura simply leaned into his embrace.

She didn't particularly care; she was too tired to even think about it. "Took your time, right?" Sakura closed her eyes and laughed, not the kind of full blown snort she'd do when Pītā really pushed her giddy buttons.

No, the laugh was more of the relieved kind, the kind of laugh that was a hair's width away from devolving into a good, solid cry. Such a mixed bag of emotions for one so young, a traumatic experience having gotten the best of her in the end. Shaking and trembling, unsure what to do with herself. Sakura was in a severely sorry state and for Pītā; just seeing her like this… it sent him on the biggest guilt trip he'd experienced thus far.

The brunette laughed too, a genuine smile hidden behind that mask of his as he attempted to encourage her. "I know, I know I did. I'm sorry, oh man, you have no idea how sorry I am. I—I tried to get here sooner but… I'm not gonna lie, it's just been one of those days, you know?" He levelled with her, an added touch of experience surfacing in those exuberant brown eyes of his.

Something Sakura managed to take notice of, even through her swollen eye. "I can relate," she joked, a grin cracking on that bloody face of hers as she finally cracked herself.

Tears streamed, mingling with dried and dirtied blood as Pītā held her close. He didn't cry, he just wasn't the type of kid that shed a tear in any given situation. His Aunt Mei once joked that he had a heart made of gold with an inner layer of stone for added measure; he was as tough as they came. So he couldn't cry with her, he couldn't understand what she'd been through because he hadn't been there to witness it.

Instead, Pītā let her ball into his neck as much as she wanted to. "Hey, hey, I gotcha. Dry those eyes, kiddo." He whispered, as lowly and quietly as he could.

Sakura heard his soft words, gently brushing against her ear as she shuddered and sobbed in his embrace. "I'm sorry," she apologized; the spider wasn't sure what exactly she was apologizing for.

It made him shake his head; she probably had no idea what she was saying. "You're apologizing? You've been on your own, looking after your team— _our_ team—for around a day and… you're apologizing. Ah, what am I gonna do with you?" He couldn't believe her, how genuinely selfless she was being in such a state of distress.

The pink haired preteen felt compelled to laugh again, right into the crook of his neck. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of quiet sobbing, Sakura pulled away from Pītā and looked at him through tear stained eyes. The boy slowly brought his gloved hand up to carefully wipe just underneath her eyes with his thumb, staining his own skin with blood and dirt in the meantime. He didn't particularly care; she'd been through hell and back while he'd been messing around in the forest.

Overcoming the pure joy from simply seeing each other again, both kids actually _saw_ each other again. "Your eye's swollen, someone hit you?" Pītā posed, an undeniable edge to his previously soft and welcoming tone that the girl couldn't have missed had she tried.

He was overprotective; she'd first noticed it not long after they'd started travelling to the Land of Waves, not that she was complaining. "I hit him right back," Sakura alleviated the boy's flaring temper with a smirk; he also had a very short fuse too.

But neither aspect of his personality ever overwhelmed his sense of humour, a proud smile forming on Pītā's hidden lips as he nodded. "Atta girl," he fondly expressed, the swell of anger that had been emerging in those eyes of his being replaced by pride and admiration.

Because she took it in stride, just like he did. "What about you? Your flak jacket… Pītā, it's ruined." It was Sakura's turn to showcase some concern for her friend, noticing that the charred scraps hanging loosely around his torso were in fact what remained of his clothing.

Pītā blinked as he diverted his attention down towards said destroyed article of clothing, he'd been so worried about his friends that it had honestly sort of slipped from his mind. "Don't worry about it," he dismissed her words, Sakura knew he was going to say that exact phrase the very second she'd spoken.

'Don't worry about it', it was practically his slogan at that point. "But… your aunt," Sakura once again attempted to convince him to think about himself for a change, she knew full well just who had made that jacket for him and how much it meant to him.

Pītā faltered slightly at the mere mention of his aunt, he really was upset that the jacket she'd made him had been ruined. "What happened to your hair? Last I checked, it reached the small of your back." He changed the subject; it was just a piece of fabric in the end.

Sakura didn't fight him on the matter; he rarely ever talked about himself. "I cut it… I had to, Pītā, she—she wouldn't let go." She stuttered and stammered, recalling something that the boy hadn't been there to see with his own two eyes.

No doubt something painful, no doubt something that would've made his blood boil had he witnessed it. "You didn't do a bad job, all things considered anyway." Instead, he forced the dreaded thought of her being hurt to the back of his mind and powered on with a joke.

Sakura smiled, she couldn't help it. "Really?" The simple compliment served to lift her spirits; she'd been dreading her missing teammate seeing her in such a terrible state.

"Hand to my heart," Pītā insisted, mimicking his words with the physical action.

He hadn't been expecting the hug; he didn't think she had the strength to do much of anything really. "Thanks," Sakura whispered, holding onto him with everything she had left.

Pītā hesitated, his hand lingering in the air before he patted her back, just trying to do his best to comfort her. He opened his mouth to speak, to utter some kind of easement but in the end, there wasn't much else he could've said. He felt her squeeze him tighter and he responded in kind, complete silence surrounding them for a fleeting moment in time.

They'd honestly forgotten that a threat was still even present, too wrapped up in each other that everyone else had kind of… faded from their minds. "That's the guy she was talking about, right? The spider-kid?" Zaku had managed to climb to his feet, admittedly still mentally getting over the fact that he could've been crushed.

Dosu frowned as a still possessed Kin jerked away from him; the little blonde loudmouth from the Leaf Village was still using the girl's mind as her own personal playground. "That's him all right, there's no mistaking strength like that." He observed, rising to his feet and studying the boy dressed in red and blue.

Tenten was too busy picking up her jaw off of the floor, her teenage mind attempting to process the fantastical scene in front of her. "You saw what I saw, right?" She dumbly queried, not bothering to turn her attention to her silent partner.

Neji furrowed his brow as he looked upon Pītā, still holding onto his teammate for dear life. "Show off," he shook his head, not in disapproval but in… amusement perhaps?

It wasn't exactly the method he'd have used but he couldn't argue with the results, dropping a towering tree onto the proceedings had ground everything to a resounding halt. It had allowed Shikamaru and Chōji to distance themselves from the scene, hefting an unconscious Ino away and back into the bushes they'd originated from.

Ino—still possessing the body of an injured Kin—saw her friends make a break for it and decided to do the same, things were getting a little too crazy to justify staying in the thick of it. "Mind Transfer Release," she muttered to herself, dried blood staining the pigmentation of her chin as she formed a hand sign.

The result was instantaneous as a now unconscious Kin collapsed to the grass, giving way to Ino finally waking up in the underbrush with her two relieved teammates. "That could've gone better, huh?" Shikamaru noted, watching as the mouthy blonde held her head in slight pain.

Due to the ramifications of her technique, she was still feeling the effects of the devastating blow she'd taken while in control of Kin's body. "Didn't expect them to be out of their minds," she admitted, the look in Zaku's cold dead eyes as he'd threatened to kill his own teammate still haunting her.

Speaking of the Sound-nin, he was trying to figure out the best way to approach the newly arrived spider. "So… what're we doing here? Two against one, we can take him… right?" Zaku threw the question his peer's way; stood in a defensive stance should anything have happened.

Dosu didn't bother preparing for a fight; the brunette with the monstrous strength was too busy making up with his little pink haired friend. Of course, the question went unanswered as Dosu honestly wasn't sure. That was the least of his worries though as his bandage covered ears twitched, Neji's still activated Byakugan caught notice of a sudden swell in Chakra and Pītā's spider-sense ripped his attention away from his friend, directing it toward the alcove beneath the lofty tree.

A swirling purple Chakra had begun to seep out of the prone Sasuke, tossing and turning as his dreams had been overcome by vivid images of the man that had sunk his fangs into his neck, the blood-splattered scene of his clan's compound and his parents' lifeless bodies lying within, piled on top of one another like deceased livestock.

The traumatic stimuli was too much for him, jerking him from his involuntary induced slumber and forcing him right back into the real world. For the first time since his exhausting fight with Orochimaru, Sasuke's eyes shot open to greet the chaos all around him, a blood red pooling into his black irises as the Sharingan reared its head.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I feel like the moment this chapter was building to was Pītā and Sakura reuniting, I put everything I had into their initial reactions to one another after being apart for so long for the first time since Team 7's inception.

Sasuke's awake, the curse mark has been affecting him all throughout the fight. But the question is, who will draw his wrath? The Sound ninja? Or Pītā Pākā? Tune in next time, true believers! Channelling my best Stan Lee there...

 **Guest Reviews:**

 **BladesOfFury:** Thanks for the correction, pal. I guess my mind must have wandered whilst writing it, don't know what I was thinking. Anyway, corrected. I think when all's said and done, Sasuke's pretty damn powerful, enough to at least stay level with Naruto at the end anyway. Don't think he needs something like Sage Mode, in all honesty. Thanks for the review!

 **Aztec 13:** That is a good idea, except Pītā's more proficient in science than in any form of Juinjutsu, he really wouldn't know where to start. Plus, Sasuke's curse mark is a major driving force in his decision to leave Konoha, can't just get rid of it. Thanks for the review!

 **Nick T:** I'd say this young, maybe he sounds like Josh Keaton's Peter, just a little lighter in tone. He's not aware of multiple versions of himself just like nobody else is, though that could change in the future. Pītā's outfit will see the biggest change come the time-skip when he gets older, I've already decided what he's going to look like. Thanks for the review!

 **Great Saiyaman54:** Found it. What if I told you... I have big plans for the Goblin when Pītā gets older?

 **Slash17:** You're absolutely right, I have strained it a bit. More than a bit actually, but a lot of stuff happens in this story that never happened in canon. I never intended it to go on this long, it just developed that way the more I wrote. Caught in the Web will be updated shortly, thanks for the review!

 **Justaguest:** Thanks, I enjoyed writing it. My favorite parts of the story are the individually unique interactions, at least I try to keep them unique. I love Sakura, I love Tenten, so it's my pleasure to really spotlight them and explore who they are past what canon did with them. When it comes to Mikio, there's probably something you should keep in mind. He's insane, he is legitimately insane. He just hides it so well, under a veil of reasoning and what he considers to be honor. But he's a functioning psychopath, he's not completely out of his mind. He truly believes the things he believes and once he's decided upon something, he won't back down.

He is aware that Gaara is a jinchūriki, he just doesn't care in all honesty. Pītā however is not aware of Naruto's secret, though that will change at some point. Thanks for the review!

 **coldblue:** 1) Not in Spider-Clan, no. At least, not to parallel Earths that deal with alternate Spider-Men, he could very well travel to the Narutoverse's Counter-Earth where everything is seemingly flipped. That'd be fun, right?

2) From this point on, Anko's going to be quite a big influence in Pītā's life. Probably because subconsciously, she feels she owes him for sticking up for her despite the fact that she did pay him back by saving his life. I'm just very fond of the relationship they have, so expect big sister Anko to be offering any advice she can to little brother Pītā.

3) Pītā's going to be able to wield Earth/Wind Style Jutsu, given his already amazing plethora of abilities, I didn't want him to seem to overpowered. It's not something he'd prioritize over his powers but in future chapters, he'll learn a valuable lesson about overreliance on his bloodline.

4) I've heard of both of them, I'm more interested in My Hero Academia than One-Punch Man. I understand the latter is supposed to be a parody of overpowered characters like Superman and Goku but it just doesn't interest me. I might give it a shot though, who knows? Thanks a bunch for the review!


	14. With Great Power

**Author's Note:** Hey, guys! Hope you had a spooky scary Halloween season!

Sorry for taking so long with this one, but there's a lot to cover in this chapter. It's a monster by the way, so you might want to moderate the time you spend reading it. I would've split it up but I didn't want to in all honesty, I've been doing that too much lately and I just wanted to finally move past the Forest of Death sub-arc. That's pretty much it from me, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter.

Big thanks to **Deadpoolsson** for helping me out, providing me the aid and advice I needed to get this thing done. And the motivation, seriously, he's relentless!

 **Disclaimer:** Spider-Man and all related characters are owned by Marvel and in turn, Disney. Naruto and all related characters are owned by Masashi Kishimoto, I own nothing.

* * *

 **With Great Power… (Chūnin Exams Arc)**

Sasuke woke up, a silent and steady rage burning within his searing red eyes as the Sharingan was on full display. He wasted no time in climbing out of the safe haven of tree roots he found himself in, managing to spare a quick glance towards the children that he'd been lying next to. A still sleeping Naruto, Sai and Yakumo, miraculously undisturbed by everything that had transpired.

His pearly white teeth ground together, all three of them had put themselves on the line for him. Sai and Yakumo had been subjected to Orochimaru's killing intent and Naruto… Naruto had fought tooth and nail, showing Sasuke an absolute refusal to give up and bravery the likes of which he'd never witnessed before.

The blonde nuisance had convinced him to fight, to stop being so scared and just fight. "Idiot," the Uchiha-heir murmured, turning away from the slumbering boy to face the commotion.

Blood red eyes settled on an absolutely terrified Sakura, covered in blood and grime and all manner of things she hated. With her—holding her—was the spider-heir, Pītā. The boy held uncertainty in his eyes, as if he wasn't entirely sure what Sasuke was going to do next. The girl trembling in his embrace showcased fear, quite potent as it danced in her emerald green orbs, one of them swollen and bloodshot.

Sasuke suddenly felt his blood boil, flickering flame-like marks emerging on his fair skin and spreading down his arm and up one side of his face. "Sakura… you kept watch over us, nursed us as best you could." It wasn't a question; it was a simple statement as the child knew full well that she'd looked after him.

Regardless, he waited for the slow and shaky nod from her. "Who did this to you, Sakura?" Sasuke followed up, his fists balling as the simmering marks on his skin cooled and blackened.

Sakura felt her heart pound against her chest; Pītā could hear it assaulting his senses. She was scared, frozen in fear. She didn't know what to say, she didn't know how to react to… whatever was happening to Sasuke. Even Pītā wasn't sure, and he was the one with the most information on the curse mark, courtesy of one Anko Mitarashi.

Dosu knew exactly what had happened to the raven haired lad too, he just couldn't believe that he'd somehow defied the odds and actually lived through the process. "The chances are slim to none… how did he survive?" He voiced his question to the air, though kept his tone low enough that nobody had managed to hear it.

Zaku on the other hand, he didn't particularly care about whatever was going on with the kid. "I did, and I enjoyed every damn second of it. Little brat broke my nose, it's only fair, right?" He boasted, unable to resist the temptation to claim credit for whatever he could.

Pītā narrowed his eyes at the abrasive punk, while Sasuke wore a devilish smirk. "Wrong," he responded, slowly stalking his way to his target as dark purple Chakra erratically whirled around him.

Dosu took a cautionary step back; he was no idiot after all. "Zaku," he uttered the one word warning, though admittedly, didn't put much effort into it.

What was the point? He knew the crazed boy wasn't going to pay him any mind; he simply did what he wanted to half the time anyway. And now, with the objective of their mission standing right before them, advancing towards them even, he knew there'd be no convincing Zaku to run and fight another day.

Zaku wasn't like that; he wasn't the kind of person to admit defeat and bail, even if it was the smart thing to do—the safe thing to do—in this kind of situation. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were scared of this punk, Dosu." He berated, throwing a grin his ally's way whilst completely oblivious to the severity of the threat at hand.

Dosu gave the lad the blankest expression possible, could he not see what was walking right at him? The swirling vortex of off the charts Chakra, tainted with some kind of dark energy, violent in its intent, should've been enough to turn tail and run. But no, in his own twisted way, Zaku was too prideful. He believed himself to have been the strongest of their hastily thrown together team and while he never admitted to such, Dosu knew it.

Thinking back to what had happened earlier, which wasn't that hard considering the event was still fresh in the teen's mind, Dosu was really struggling to find a reason to want to help the boy. His supposed friend, his apparent teammate. There was just… nothing there, nothing except anger for what he'd done. For what he'd tried to do to someone they were supposed to look out for, to someone that had their backs.

Instead of engaging his babble, clearly intended to get some kind of a reaction out of him, Dosu held his hands up dejectedly. "Give it a shot," he nonchalantly stated, perhaps the experience would've served to humble him had it not killed him outright.

Zaku shook his head in disbelief but cracked a grin nonetheless, it was rare Dosu gave him permission to do anything let alone take the objective head on. "Ha! This won't take long, problem… meet solution!" The boy braced himself, raising both arms and aiming them square at Sasuke.

To his credit, the red eyed ninja glanced over his shoulder. "Pākā," he warned, eyebrows furrowed and a thin line decorating his pale lips.

The acrobatic Genin nodded, his spider-sense thrown into overdrive. "I got it," the messy haired brunette shot back, hoisting Sakura up into his arms as time seemed to slow to a crawl.

"Super Sonic Slicing Wave!" Zaku screamed at the top of his lungs, his eyes wide and fixed on the curse mark covered Leaf-nin before him.

Giant torrents of piercing wind and sound ripped right out of the tubes in Zaku's palms, rupturing the quiet, sombre air of the forest with a unique shrieking noise and shaking the Earth to its very foundations. All those present had to duck low to the ground, throw their arms up in front of their faces and brace themselves. Sharp winds whipped right by them, gritted teeth, clenched jaws and squinted eyes abounded.

When the attack subsided, it'd dug a deep channel into the ground right where Sasuke had been stood, reaching the spot where Pītā and Sakura had been crouched. Luckily, despite its earthquake-like demeanour, it wasn't very far-reaching. At most, it'd flattened the grass, every bush and flower for yards around.

But it seemed to have done the trick, Sasuke was gone and as a bonus, so were the spider and the girl that had broken his nose. "Three birds, one stone. These arms, man… weapons of mass destruction." Zaku gloated, raising his palms to blow the tube like the smoking barrel of a gun.

Of course, he along with everyone else was caught off-guard when Sasuke stood behind him, a sadistic expression etched into his face. "You can't stop boasting about these arms of yours, can you?" The boy's chilling voice reached an oblivious Zaku's ears, prompting his eyes to widen and the smirk to disappear altogether.

He didn't have time to react, barely anyone did. Sasuke gripped the Sound ninja's forearms and pulled them behind his back, raising his sandal covered foot and pinning it to the base of his spine. Zaku resisted, of course he resisted, he wasn't just going to roll over and accept what was happening to him. Unfortunately, whatever had happened to Sasuke, it'd made him strong. Stronger than the average human being, strong enough to fight against his victim's resistance with ease.

"No! Please, stop! Dosu! Please, God, someone help me!" Zaku screamed, his voice growing hoarse and hysterical as tears welled up in those soulless eyes of his.

Sasuke grinned as he pulled a little more, relishing in the pain he was inflicting upon this weasel-like Genin. "You must be very attached to them," he spoke lowly, his intentions crystal clear as Zaku felt his arms being gradually pulled right out of their sockets.

The surrounding kids had no idea what to do, what to say. Pītā, having gotten himself and Sakura to safety, was conflicted. If what Zaku had said was true, he was the kid that had beaten his friend black and blue. He was the one that had almost killed her, reduced her to wracking sobs and startled chokes. Needless to say, he didn't feel particularly sorry for the boy.

His charge on the other hand, Ino too, didn't know what to think. The boy in front of them, clearly enjoying himself as he slowly tortured another human being, was not the boy they remembered from their Academy days. The Sasuke they knew was quiet, misunderstood and driven. This Sasuke… with a twisted smirk on blatant display was the exact opposite, a darkness within him coming to the forefront for the first time.

A darkness that Ino couldn't ignore even if she wanted to, her sensory capabilities easily separating Sasuke's poisonous Chakra from everyone else's. It wasn't the Chakra she knew, it'd never been so potent, so powerful and so… just so terrifying. It was almost overwhelming her, the tainted energy almost leaving the girl dizzy. It wasn't normal, none of it was normal.

Shikamaru didn't know what to do; he just knew that they had to stay out of whatever was going on. They hadn't been trained for it; they hadn't been prepared for something so bleak. He just… couldn't take his eyes off of the scene in front of him, Zaku's shrill screams causing him to swallow. Chōji however, was so scared that he'd turned his back and covered his ears with his bandage covered hands; bloodcurdling cries making him shiver in place.

Tenten couldn't help it as she placed her hand over her mouth, shocked at the sheer brutality on display. Neji kept his large lavender eyes on things, his brow furrowed and a frown apparent on his lips. He'd never been privy to such a thing, such… mindless violence. Violence for the sake of violence and he wasn't exactly the most easy going person, harming the enemy for the sake of the mission was a completely different thing from what he was witnessing.

Pītā knew what was coming, his superhuman hearing able to hear the grinding and cracking of human bone as they tried to withstand an unnatural powerful force. "Don't look, Sakura." Stood there, carrying the girl bridal style, he purposefully turned her away from the sight.

Sakura shut her eyes; shut them so tightly it started to hurt. "That… that's _not_ Sasuke," she meekly whispered, a shaking hand clutching onto the loose red material of Pītā's flak jacket.

Tears leaked from both her and Ino's confused eyes when they heard it, when everyone heard it. Two sickening snaps and grinding crunches, one right after the other as Sasuke broke both of Zaku's arms and causally kicked him to the forest floor. The blue adorned Uchiha-heir looked upon his work; grim satisfaction dancing in those fiery red eyes of his as Zaku lay there, twitching in shock. The kid felt empty, felt so vulnerable and powerless.

Dosu let his eyes linger on his fallen teammate, handled deftly before being tossed to one side like yesterday's garbage. "And then there was one," Sasuke noted with a smirk, turning on the spot to approach the supposed leader of the Sound trio.

Naturally, he'd been expecting to be next. "If you think it's going to be that easy, you're in for a surprise." Dosu informed the lad stalking his way towards him, a slight shiver of fear running up his spine.

Regardless, he stood his ground, pulled the sleeve of his gauntlet wielding arm up and faced the Leaf Genin down. Unfortunately, he couldn't anticipate the boy's speed. Couldn't prepare for it, had no hope to match it. A swift fist caught him directly in the face, Dosu was sent spinning. He was coherent enough to swing his gauntlet around, sound vibrating around it for added effect but hit nothing but air.

A startled yelp died in his throat when he felt a fist drive deep into his ribs, sending him to his knees. "It's a good thing you're covered in bandages," Sasuke remarked smugly, gripping the top of Dosu's head and slamming it directly into his solid knee.

Dosu struggled to resist, raising his arms limply. The second time his face met the unyielding bone of his attacker's knee, whatever fight left in him deserted him. He hit the floor back first, staring up at the forest's dense green ceiling as crimson began to stain the dirty white of his bandages. His single exposed eye spied Sasuke standing above him, standing over him, fists balled and a thirst for blood not yet satisfied.

He wasted no time in picking Dosu up by the front of his loose clothes, reeling his fist back with gritted teeth before letting it fly. Pītā's stomach turned, his brow furrowing as he was no longer witnessing justice. Instead, he was standing by and doing nothing while a boy murdered another boy in cold blood. He gazed around the scene, his sharp eyes finding that everyone else apparently felt the same.

Ino was crying, shivering and horrified as her entire body stayed frozen in place. Looking back to the girl in his arms, Pītā had never seen Sakura so terrified. As if her entire world had crumbled, as if her perfect image of a boy she once knew had shattered, broken and irreparable forever. The spider took a deep breath; he could not stand by and let such madness continue.

Pītā carefully placed Sakura onto her feet, not letting go of her until he was sure she was steady. "Pītā? Pītā, no. Please, don't, please, he—he might…" The girl refused to let go of the brunette, emerald eyes shining with despair as she urged him to stay with her.

The wall-crawler gently, ever so gently removed Sakura's hands. "Somebody has to, Sakura. This is… I don't know what this is, but it's getting out of hand." He left her with resolute words, calm, confident, so reassuring… everything she wasn't.

Sasuke continued to pound away on Dosu's swollen face, blood staining his pale knuckles with each and every strike. "I think he's had enough, Sasuke." He would have continued, had someone not gripped his wrist and refused to let him.

The raven haired lad let go of Dosu, letting him slump to the floor and groggily grasp at the grass and dirt around him. "I knew you'd get involved, you just can't help yourself." Sasuke frowned, his erratic Chakra flaring up around him as he struggled to remove his wrist from the grip of a spider.

Pītā frowned right back, his fingers firmly locked in place and overpowering the power-boosted boy with frightening ease. "Can you blame me? You're taking this too far, man." He lectured, something the orphan was not happy with.

"Let go of me," Sasuke ordered, a sharpness to his voice that went hand in hand with the glowering look he directed at his fellow Leaf-nin.

Pītā's spider-sense gave him enough warning to catch the punch Sasuke had thrown his way, halting it mid-throw and holding it in place. "How'd that work out for you last time, sport?" The spider queried, memories of their first and only proper fight suddenly filling their minds.

Sasuke was about to respond but he couldn't, he simply held his tongue and thought back to what had happened. As did Ino, Sakura, Shikamaru and upon being forced to look at the scene yet again, Chōji. The sheer image of Sasuke Uchiha and Pītā Pākā staring one another down kicking up something they'd long since forgotten, their Academy graduation day. Where Iruka-Sensei had pitted both candidates for the number one rookie spot against one another, a tie-breaker duel or so to speak.

* * *

Iruka Umino, one of the many instructors at Konoha's ninja Academy, looked upon his graduated class proudly as they stood behind the Academy building. He took stock of his class, the student's he'd been personally teaching for around half a dozen years or so and smiled. This was the day they'd been waiting for and the day he'd been dreading, the day he'd stop teaching them and have to hand them over to their new Jōnin sensei.

Each student had received their forehead protector upon graduating, earning the grades and marks necessary to pass. Sans Naruto, unfortunately. The ramen loving child had flunked the written test and was unable to perform the E-Rank Clone Jutsu, so Iruka had no choice but to fail him. Naturally, the boy had been heartbroken as he would have had to stay behind while his friends progressed towards their future as ninja.

Iruka frowned at that thought, the thought that Naruto would never join them. It was a shame really, he did try, he worked so hard but in the end… it just hadn't been enough. The boy hadn't showcased the necessary skills in order to pass and unless by some miracle, he wasn't going to master them anytime soon.

He shook his head, his brunette hair tied back into a ponytail and instead focused on those that had succeeded. "Students, allow to me to confess just how proud of you all I really am. The amount of hard work you've put in this year, the amount of dedication you've shown and for some of you, the amount of natural talent you've perfected has been nothing short of astonishing." Iruka congratulated, closing his dark coloured eyes and grinning as his class beamed up at him.

The proud Chūnin brandished his hand, gesturing towards the empty flat battlefield behind him. "Two of you in particular have really impressed me, passing every written and physical test I've thrown at you with ease. It's why I've had such a hard time deciding who's going to be this year's number one rookie, you're literally neck and neck with one another." He revealed, something he'd kept to himself all year long.

Informing the class at the start of the year that only one person was able to be the number one rookie wasn't a smart move, it was liable to start competition and while it could be healthy in certain doses, it was also likely to ruin a few friendships. So Iruka had opted to stay silent on the matter, encourage each and every one of his students and refused to show any sort of favouritism.

He immediately noticed how all eyes landed on Sasuke, a prodigy of the deceased Uchiha-Clan. He also took note of how those eyes seemed to belong to the females of his class, sans Yakumo who was rooting for both of the possible choices and little Hinata who was—as per usual—too busy staring at the toes poking out of her sandals. He shook his head and smirked as the rest of the boys in his class folded their arms and rolled their eyes, Sasuke himself hadn't even caught the attention on him… he never did though.

Iruka's gaze drifted to the young boy in red and blue, the spider that had come to them late in their very first year at the Academy, back when they barely reached Iruka's knees in height. "Sasuke Uchiha, Pītā Pākā… please step forward." The teacher surprised no-one when he mentioned the first name but when the second name slipped past his lips, it caused quite the fuss.

Iruka knew full well why and he honestly couldn't blame his students, Pītā had been practising for a long time to keep his powers and abilities in check. Which meant not using them at every given opportunity and learning not to rely on them, he found it hard as Iruka had expected and would've no doubt continued to find it hard the older and stronger he got.

But the last time his peers had been privy to his… less than human attributes, it had coincidentally been the day Pītā had thrown Sasuke clear across the Academy's yard. He remembered how concerned parents had been hounding him; he recalled how he'd been forced to tell Pītā off for doing such a thing. He also thought back to the talk he'd had to have with Mei, Pītā's aunt and sole guardian.

He certainly admired the fact that she'd managed to keep a boy who could scale walls without the use of Chakra in check and he made it a point that Sasuke had been… for lack of a better word, bullying another student. Pītā had been so careful since that day, he'd been so on top of his strength, his speed, he'd rarely used it at all.

Well, during Academy hours anyway. It happened a long time ago, the kids had been young, they'd most likely forgotten about it. Or at least tried to forget about it, it was a rather scary sight witnessing a six year old manhandle another boy his age as though he weighed nothing. Iruka had to be realistic, Pītā was a spider and no-one matched him physically. Not even Sasuke, one of the most impressive students he'd ever taught.

Iruka cleared his throat, wordlessly settling each and every student down as both Sasuke and Pītā stepped forward and glanced at one another. "That's enough, kids. While you may be surprised, both Sasuke and Pītā were the top of the class this year. They passed every test I laid out for them, even over performing in some cases. But… as you'll learn when you venture out into this wide scary world, usually there can only be one victor." He explained, having his children's complete and undivided attention.

Sasuke frowned as he stared at the boy several feet to the right of him; Pītā simply raised his eyebrows in return. "The title of number one rookie will go to the winner of a single one-on-one battle between Sasuke Uchiha and Pītā Pākā," Iruka announced, much to the class' delight.

They cheered at the prospect of the entertainment, most of the boys—particularly Kiba Inuzuka—chomping at the bit to see some action. The girls on the other hand—Ino Yamanaka and Sakura Haruno in particular—simply wanted to see their beloved Sasuke in all his glory. Speaking of Sasuke, the raven haired lad slowly made his way to his side of the dirt battlefield.

Pītā did the same, removing his gloved hands from his pants pockets and standing opposite his opponent. "Now, you're still kids so I'm obligated to set a few ground rules… I really don't need your parents coming down on me again. Taijutsu, Ninjutsu and Genjutsu are all fair game, just try not to overdo it with the latter two. Kunai and shuriken are permitted but remember, this isn't a fight to the death, all right? No biting, no scratching and I feel like this goes without saying but… no spitting." Iruka awkwardly stated, earning an arch of the eyebrow from both of the combatants.

"You'd be surprised," he causally responded, waving off their dumbfounded looks with a grin.

Once again, their eyes found each other, charcoal black staring into chocolate brown. "Just… do your best, that's all anyone can ask of you. Sasuke, are you ready?" Iruka queried, stepping off of the field to observe.

Sasuke took a deep breath in, balling his fists and setting his jaw. "Ready," he finally answered, anticipation overwhelming him as he waited for the go ahead.

Iruka nodded, directed his attention towards the nonchalant boy in the mask. "Pītā, are you ready?" He repeated himself as per the rules; both combatants had to verbally confirm their ability to fight.

Pītā cracked his neck to one side, shaking one of his hands in order to loosen up the joint. "Born ready," he shortly responded, opting to get straight to the point instead of cracking wise.

Iruka felt himself take a deep breath before he raised his arm high into the air, taking a last cautionary look at the boys. "Fight!" The eldest and most experienced Shinobi present declared the battle to start, his lone word causing each and every single one of his students to perk up and pay attention.

Predictively, Sasuke was the first to move. The orphan wasted no time as he bolted right for Pītā, low to the ground and very clear intent dancing in those black eyes of his. He swung, Pītā dodged, stepping to one side and feeling a slight breeze pass him by. Sasuke followed up immediately by bringing his leg around in order to drive it directly into the spider's head.

Pītā, once again, evaded the blow with practised ease by leaning backwards. "Someone's eager," he commented, in such a casual tone that it only served to spur his opponent on.

Facing the boy once more, Sasuke dived straight for him with the object of tackling him in mind. "Boop," Pītā was suddenly in the air, his hand using his attacker's head as a sort of springboard to sail over him.

Sasuke landed on his hands, Pītā hit the ground shortly after and ducked beneath the helicopter kick sent his way. He barely gave the spider any time to breathe, righting himself and then seeking to drive his knee directly into Pītā's face. He hit nothing but air, he was either too slow or Pītā was simply too fast.

Sasuke paused for a moment and turned, frowning in silent anger as he'd done nothing but attack and Pītā had… done nothing but evade. "This is a fight, right? Why don't you stop running away from me and actually fight back?" The boy questioned, naturally receiving a hefty bout of cheering from the female populace of the small crowd.

Pītā shook his head, offering a short laugh as he now stood where Sasuke had started and vice versa. "I'm waiting for the right opening, that's all. Come on, this is fun, right?" He admitted, holding up his hands as Sasuke's expression took on a perplexed look.

"Fun? You think this is fun?" Sasuke grilled, not fully believing the words coming out of that hidden mouth of his.

Pītā arched an eyebrow; he didn't see what the big deal was. "You're not having fun?" He queried, his spider-sense buzzing slightly as something dangerous was about to happen.

The boy finally realized just what that danger was when Sasuke cycled through a series of hand signs, opting for something a little less physical in nature. "I didn't come here to have fun; I came here to get stronger. Fire Style: Phoenix Flower Jutsu!" Always on the offensive, Sasuke blew several small swirling balls of orange and yellow flame right at his opponent.

Pītā snapped his head out of the way of the first, jumped into the air and corkscrewed over the second and third before landing and ducking below the fourth and fifth. The thing about that Jutsu—one favoured by the boy, Pītā noted—each ball of flame was controlled individually by the user's Chakra. It made it incredibly difficult to dodge even one fireball, let alone all of them.

Iruka was silently impressed by the spider's sheer agile grace but in all honesty, expected no less even from one so young. The spectating class was on the edge of its seat, the children's eyes wide and fixed on the battle before them. Sakura and Ino cheered every single time Sasuke even made a move, Pītā didn't receive that kind of encouragement but did hear Kiba yell at him every now and then to kick Sasuke's butt.

The other thing about Sasuke's Phoenix Flower Jutsu was that it was very rarely used as an actual attack, more often than not; it was nothing more than a distraction. As such, Pītā immediately threw his forearms up when his spider-sense chimed. The Uchiha-heir's sandal covered foot struck them with as much force as it could muster, doing nothing to budge the solid defence.

Sasuke wasted no time in retrieving his kunai knife, safely kept in the holster strapped to his leg. The lad said nothing as he span around and instead of trying to break through Pītā's seemingly unbreakable defences; he attempted to slice through them. Unfortunately for him, the kid in red and blue had already moved. Sasuke hit the floor hard before he could even realize his legs were about to be swept, staring up at wisp-like clouds floating through a soft blue sky, the rookie barely even managed to catch the descending foot in his peripheral vision.

Sasuke gritted his teeth and rolled away from the blow, making it back to his feet as he watched Pītā land right where his face would've been. "Better?" The smart aleck queried, earning a narrow of the eyes in return.

And also a kunai thrown his way for his troubles, aimed right at his forehead. Startled gasps sounded all around as Pītā snatched the blade right out of the air, watching it intently as though it had been moving in slow motion. The young superhuman placed his thumb on the bladed part of the weapon and applied a little bit of pressure, snapping it clean in two.

Sasuke studied the lad in front of him, serious doubt beginning to fill his usually driven mind. The class didn't feel like cheering anymore as Pītā let the broken projectile slip right out of his grasp and fall deftly to the floor. The acrobatic ninja then loosened up, dropping into a defensive spider-like crouch as he raised his gloved hand and beckoned for Sasuke to make another move.

The prodigy was more than eager to meet the Shinobi's expectations, letting a handful of shuriken fly for cover as he sprinted for Pītā once again. "Oh goody, more stuff to not hit me." The brunette quipped with a hidden grin, enjoying himself far too much for his stoic opponent's liking.

It was seamless, the way he weaved through the razor sharp projectiles, moving with such a fluidity that arguably put Jōnin-level ninja to shame. "Clone Jutsu!" Sasuke didn't let the little display of inhuman dexterity faze him, raising both hands to once again cycle through a series of hand signs.

Pītā sidestepped the knee headed right for his chest, his spider-sense blaring as two mirror copies of his sparring partner surrounded him. The little game of keep away he'd been playing with the most popular boy in the Academy had just been made all the more harder but admittedly, not too difficult for someone like him.

An elbow struck out, attempting to drive its way into Pītā's solar plexus. On the other side of him, a quite expertly poised kick was aiming for his stomach, probably hoping to knock the wind right out of him. The arachnid-themed preteen used them against one another, avoiding the elbow whilst gripping the front of the copy's blue shirt, pulling him into the path of his doppelgänger's foot.

The clone appeared stunned for a moment as he watched the carbon copy of himself keel over, before Pītā gripped both of their heads and smashed them into one another. Both clones exploded into small plumes of smoke, fogging Pītā's vision for the briefest of seconds. Brief enough for Sasuke to come barrelling in out of nowhere, swinging a hard right with gritted teeth and narrowed, angry eyes.

Pītā had sensed it ahead of time, there just wasn't much that could get by him. "Nice distraction," he complimented and he did genuinely mean it, even as he leaned right out of the way of the lad's fist.

Sasuke stumbled as Pītā had blurred by him, standing right behind him as he turned, starting to show early signs of slight fatigue. "This is going nowhere, how are we supposed to determine who's the better fighter if you won't even fight?!" The boy yelled, clearly frustrated with Pītā's defensive nature.

The spider held up his hands, even laughing a little. "Because… it's not like we're trying to kill each other, right? Just a bit of friendly competition, right?" Again, he didn't see what the big deal was.

Being number one rookie wasn't exactly at the top of his to do list; he doubted Sasuke cared about the achievement either. "You're not going to take this seriously, are you?" The pale boy, with his dark piercing eyes, pressed in a moment of honesty.

Pītā shook his head; nothing was going to make him hit the kid in front of him. "We're twelve, how serious can it get?" He joked, brown eyes full of childish exuberance.

Sasuke didn't know what to say, he wasn't sure whether he should've been offended or not. He knew full well how formidable Pītā was, most of the others in the Academy refused to see it or just couldn't. Pītā's wisecracking nature did a great job of throwing people off, it led them to not take him seriously and as such… it was a fairly big surprise when he did whatever it was he could do.

The Uchiha boy knew this first-hand, back when they'd first met and Pītā had thrown him clear across the yard they were standing in. "I agree, I just don't appreciate being treated like a child." Sasuke replied, surprising his easy going classmate.

Pītā arched an eyebrow, he wasn't entirely sure when he'd done that exactly. "Because I don't want to hurt you?" He threw back and if possible, offended Sasuke more.

"I'm not asking you as a classmate, I'm demanding to be treated as an equal. Friendly or not, this _is_ a fight… act like it." Sasuke made himself very clear, prompting a nod of the head from his less than enthusiastic peer.

Pītā swallowed, he really didn't want to hurt the boy but… he wanted to at least respect his wishes. "I… fine, I guess that's fair." He hesitantly agreed, leading to Sasuke immediately start running at him with clear intent in those deep ebony eyes.

The spider took a short moment to ponder things, how he was going to approach the fight now that he'd agreed to remove the kid gloves. Not fully, obviously. He wasn't going to split his head like a watermelon or anything like that… at least, he hoped he wouldn't. Pītā had a pretty good handle on his powers; he'd been striving to control them ever since he'd been consciously aware of them.

He'd practise every day out in the woods dotted throughout Konoha, far removed from its central and market districts, far removed from anyone he could've hurt. Trees were usually the victim of his precautionary exercises; they were tall, old and far sturdier than any punching bag. He remembered he'd worked so hard, so furiously one day that he'd bloodied his knuckles come nightfall, his skin shredding against the jagged surface of the bark.

He liked to think that he'd perfected the amount of strength it took to knock a regular human being right out, their eyes sent rolling into the back of their head as they teetered back and forth before ultimately… they went night-night.

Pītā shrugged as he stood there, waiting for Sasuke to close the distance. Truth was, he could've shut the fight down from the very get go—he hadn't even employed the use of his webbing, a sort of subconscious attempt to give himself a handicap—from the very moment Iruka-Sensei had yelled the word 'fight'. But where was the fun in that? The sportsmanship? They were just kids at that moment; barely an hour had passed since they'd received their forehead protectors.

But… Sasuke had made himself crystal clear, he was tired of being danced around. Suffice to say, his expectations were soundly met as Pītā caught the punch he'd thrown with ease, halting any and all momentum it had without breaking a sweat.

The boy reeled back, his fingers balling into a solid fist as he stood there. "Sorry about this," Pītā apologized ahead of time, swiftly smacking Sasuke directly across the jaw.

The last thing the twelve year old heard before he hit the ground like dead weight was shrill screams splitting the air as almost every single girl in the class screamed bloody murder. The last thing he saw had been Pītā standing there; regret wavering in the only visible feature he had on display… his eyes.

* * *

Sasuke shook his head as those memories faded away; they seemed so long ago now. "That was different, _I'm_ different. This power… you have no idea what it's like, how good it feels." He claimed, yanking both of his hands away from the spider.

Both kids, still just children at the end of the day, began to circle one another. "I don't know how power feels? Do I need to remind you who you're talking to? I feel like I live in a world made out of cardboard, always scared to hurt something or worse… _someone_. Believe me, I get it." Pītā attempted to appeal; he'd been struggling with power his entire life.

He didn't like to preach it to the heavens because it was rarely relevant but he liked to think of himself as an authority on the subject or at the very least, someone who knew what he was talking about. " _Do_ you? Do you get it? You've had the luxury of power your entire life; this… this has finally opened my eyes. After so many years of questions, I finally know what I'm supposed to do, it's… it's all so clear. I'm an avenger and in order to follow my path, I must obtain power… whatever the cost." Sasuke hit back, tainted purple Chakra still flowing and swirling around him.

Pītā narrowed his eyes, he wasn't sure he liked what he was getting at. "That sounds ominous," he muttered, a little joke to himself to ease his own growing anxiousness.

"We're not at the Academy anymore, Pītā… stay out of my way." Sasuke warned, his words carrying a razor tipped edge to them.

An edge that told the web-head if he pressed his luck, he might've had to fight the kid a second time. "Look, the last thing I want is a fight, Sasuke. And I think—deep down—you don't want to fight me either, right? There's no need for any of this, not anymore. It's over, Sasuke. The threat's over, you won." The brunette tried to appeal, trying his best to get through to the lad's common sense.

Sasuke took his words in, his dark and searing red gaze passing over the downed and broken forms of Dosu and Zaku. "Look around you, use those sparkly eyes of yours to soak it all in. You're scaring people, Sasuke… you're scaring your friends." Pītā could see the uncertainty and confusion riddling the boy's black marking covered demeanour, he didn't know what to do with himself.

Until he opened his mouth to speak once again, his previously threatening tone muddled and somewhat lost. "I… I was just trying to defend them," Sasuke admitted, he'd seen the chaos that had occurred since he'd been out of commission.

The state Sakura was in, both of his teammates and Naruto were still completely unresponsive, even Ino and Rock Lee had stepped in to guard him against an enemy he had no chance of fending off whilst asleep. Whilst he was vulnerable, whilst he was unable to defend himself. It'd sent him over the edge, seeing them go through so much trouble for him and in the end… he'd just snapped.

Pītā slowly approached the conflicted boy; he might've actually been getting through to him. "And you did, man… you did. The power you hold in your hands, doesn't matter where it's from, doesn't matter how you got it… what matters is how you use it." He offered his voice on the matter, noticing that the vortex of overwhelming Chakra had somehow lessened in its intensity.

Sasuke seemed much more receptive to his words, seemed much more open to discussion and less eager for violence. "What do you mean?" He quizzed, curiosity lacing his dull tone as the spider neared him with his hands out and in front of him.

To show him that he meant no harm, to show him that he just wanted to talk. "Power used irresponsibly is pointless; it's like handing a child a kunai knife. No restraint, brandishing it not because they understand it but because they can't fully comprehend the repercussions, the ramifications of their actions. In the end, the only person they're liable to hurt is—" Pītā wasn't able to finish his point as Sasuke cut in, his brow furrowed.

"Themselves," he completed his peer's thought himself, able to understand just where he was coming from.

Pītā nodded eagerly, making serious progress with the unstable boy before him. "Exactly. With great power, there must also come great responsibility. A moral obligation to use said power for the betterment of others, to show that there is always another way, a _better_ way. Otherwise… that power is hollow. It's not real power; it offers no change, not the kind that lasts, not the kind that matters and means something." He proudly stated, speaking his clan's nindō with resolute confidence and painstaking sincerity.

To say Sasuke was moved would've been a lie; he wasn't moved, not in the slightest. But he saw the reasoning in the boy's desperate words; saw how much they meant to him. He tore his eyes away from the only person brave enough to stand up to him, the only person conscious anyway as he doubted that Naruto would've stayed silent on the matter.

Sasuke's gaze was drawn to those around him, enemies and so-called friends alike. Tears running down Sakura and Ino's faces, fear etched into the visages of Shikamaru and Chōji, quiet anticipation present in the lavender tinted eyes of Neji, his female teammate—Tenten—also unable speak yet felt so compelled to listen.

Dosu lay still, his single exposed eye staring up into the treetops of the forest as his chest slowly rose and fell with each breath he took. Zaku was trying to gain his bearings, fairly impressive for someone who'd just had both arms broken and yanked right out of their sockets.

Pītā recognized that he was trying to make a decision, so took the moment to extend his hand as a sign of peace. "Come on, man. Just… come on," he let an exasperated laugh escape his lips, the entire ordeal having left him mentally exhausted and pretty much out of things to say.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the Genin's outstretched hand; he wasn't entirely sure just what to think of the gesture. "Sasuke," a voice suddenly broke into the tense conservation between Uchiha and Pākā, startling the pair and drawing their attention.

All the way over to the large tree he'd been housed under by Sakura, its strong roots acting as a natural safeguard. Both Sasuke and Pītā were surprised to see that Yakumo had regained consciousness, she hadn't just woken up but she was already on her feet, clutching the wooden roots of the tree for support.

Neither one of them had heard her; even Sakura who had been closest had been so wrapped up in the standoff between her former crush and… her friend. Pītā hadn't heard her either; he'd been so focused on Sasuke that his highly attuned senses hadn't caught her waking back up to the world. He stepped back, slightly blocking Sasuke's view of his teammate and watched as their eyes met.

The spider instantly recognized the look in the girl's light brown eyes, it seemed Sasuke did too as he bowed his head in shame. Yakumo's orbs were brewing a perfect mixture of confusion, concern and fear. Confusion for what was happening to her ally, concern for his well-being and fear… fear for what he'd seemingly become.

Suddenly, Sasuke didn't feel so compelled to use his power any further. At least, not at that moment. Yakumo shook her head, just a subtle movement that wordlessly conveyed her thoughts and feelings on the matter, summing up everything Pītā had said in one neat little package. Whatever it was he was doing, she wanted him to stop.

Just like that, the marks on Sasuke's body began to recede and vanish altogether. His Sharingan faded from existence, a bottomless black overwhelming fiery red once again. But not before Naruto shot upright, sweat dripping from his forehead and chest heaving for a solid minute. His bright blue orbs settled on his Academy rival standing with his teammate, wider than saucers and filled with bewilderment.

What had happened to Sasuke?

Yakumo just barely managed to make her way to Sasuke, unafraid as he almost collapsed into her arms. "I've got you," she told him, watching him shake his head as if trying to clear it.

Pītā breathed a sigh of relief; glad that he didn't have to resort to more… physical means in order to convince Sasuke to calm down. "Take it easy, coming down from a high like that is bound to take a lot out of you." He opined, earning a haggard yet seemingly grateful nod from the raven haired prodigy.

"He'll be all right; I'll make sure of it." The only girl of Sasuke's team responded, offering a smile the spider's way.

Eventually, after a moment of heavy breathing, Sasuke gained his bearings and strength. Pushing off of Yakumo, he managed to stand on his own two feet quite stably. He took a minute to run a hand through his thick black hair, attempting to process what had just happened to him, the power the curse mark had given him. It was a lot to take in and he wasn't sure if the mark's influence had caused him to act so erratically or if it really was him, some repressed feelings and emotions boiling to the surface and quite frankly, terrifying the people he was trying to protect.

He levelled his gaze at his female ally, taking in a deep breath before addressing her. "Yakumo… I think it's time we left," Sasuke suggested, though she knew what he really meant.

It wasn't a suggestion at all but also not an order; he just didn't want to be around so many people after going through something so… confusing. "Of course, Sasuke. Make sure Sai is all right and then I suppose we'll head out, if that's what you really want." She agreed, though left a little wiggle room for him to change his mind.

Sasuke being Sasuke was never one to do such a thing, stubborn to the end once he'd made a decision. "It is," he bluntly replied, letting his attention leave her.

He didn't bother sparing a glance Dosu or Zaku's way, after what had happened… he simply wanted to leave and just be done with it. They were still soundly out of commission, Zaku trying and failing to stand whilst Dosu turned on his side, attempting to crawl away from the Leaf Genin. Pītā was the one watching him, a sour expression on his mostly hidden face but also… sympathy.

He couldn't help it, just standing there while Dosu dragged his bloody-self through the grass, his arms shaking with every laboured movement he made. Eventually, he had to tear his gaze away from the sorry looking ninja, what he and his team had done to Sakura overpowering any sense of sympathy Pītā held for him.

Sasuke's stark black eyes landed on the unusually quiet boy but ultimately, he had no words left for him. Instead, the orphan simply gave a small nod. Perhaps it was respect, that Pītā had been the only one brave enough to even approach him in such an unfamiliar state. Perhaps it was gratitude, that he'd managed to talk Sasuke down from a place he didn't want to be in.

Or perhaps… it was nothing, just a nod and nothing more. Regardless of the meaning behind the action, Sasuke left the two of them standing there as he ventured off to wake a still slumbering Sai.

In all fairness, Pītā hadn't expected the hug from Yakumo. "Whoa, okay… uhh… not sure what to do here." He let a chuckle slip past his lips, leaning out of the quite awkward embrace and looking down at the shorter girl.

The dark haired brunette wasn't laughing, a very serious expression painted across her fair complexion. "He's not going to say it so I will… thank you, Pītā. You stopped him from doing something monumentally stupid, something he might've ended up regretting." Yakumo expressed her gratitude, earning a humble nod from the taller boy.

"I think he was more receptive to you than me, Yakumo. Besides, I don't think he really wanted to hurt anyone. He just… something happened to him, something bad. This is asking a lot but… keep an eye on him, will you?" The red and blue misfit requested, even though he felt it wasn't his place to make such a request.

Regardless, Yakumo chose to honour it. "I won't let him out of my sight," she affirmed, pulling away from the lad and taking her leave.

Pītā gave a short wave and once again found his focused eyes on Sasuke, aiding a freshly awakened Sai in walking. Yakumo caught up to the pair and added her strength to her teammates', looping her arm around the pale skinned Shinobi's back in order to support him. It was funny, how mundane things had quickly gotten, how they'd deescalated so fast.

Yet… all eyes were still on a departing Sasuke, unable to understand just what had transpired. The trio left without another word, filling the clearing in the forest with an eerie quietness. Ino was quick to dry her watering eyes using her white arm warmers, turning away from her teammates in an effort to hide said action.

The veins around Neji's eyes settled once again as the Byakugan disappeared, he'd had it activated the entire duration of the small confrontation between Sasuke and Pītā, ready to leap into the fray should anything have happened. Thankfully, the spider had managed to use his words instead of his fists to reason with the Uchiha, something Neji was slightly impressed with, though… he wouldn't have admitted to it.

Sakura wasn't in any hurry to wipe the tears from her eyes, staining her already blood-stained face. Partly because of what had happened to Sasuke, partly because of the trials she'd been through on her own but also… because she'd been so terrified for Pītā. She hadn't wanted him to approach her old crush, not in such a volatile state, not when he was unpredictable and unrecognizable.

But that boy… with his friendly eyes and confident tone, he'd parted with her with words full of conviction and Sakura couldn't help but feel inspired. She couldn't help it, couldn't fight it if she tried. Watching Pītā standing there, trying to reason with their friend, trying to teach him about power and responsibility… she understood now.

She finally understood what made him tick, what drove him and what made him… him. His clan's nindō, their ninja way, an ideal they'd lived and died by. Nothing more than an ancient piece of history, a bit of fortune cookie wisdom for the average person. But hearing Pītā say it, the first time he'd ever uttered those words, it'd resonated with her. Sakura heard the emotion in his voice as clear as day, the connection to deceased ancestors he held so dear coming to the forefront as he recited those words so proudly.

Sakura knew that Pītā was brave, that he was kind, caring but ultimately, she hadn't known just how much of a good person he really was. Their first few hours as Team 7 suddenly came rushing back to her, the memory of her, the spider and the prankster sitting on top of the Academy's roof and telling their new sensei a little bit about themselves.

"I just want to help people," those words had honestly perplexed her at the time, the simple aspiration boggling her adolescent mind.

Of course he wanted to help people, they were ninja and that's what ninja did. It had taken her a good while of spending almost every day with the boy but she'd finally realized what he really meant, that being a ninja was just a matter of circumstance. He had the skills, the abilities, being a ninja was something he was doing in order to achieve his lofty goal. A means to an end, he did it simply because it let him help people.

His gaze found her and for whatever reason, she froze. Pītā studied her petit frame, her freshly hacked hair, the cuts and bruises covering her body. Sakura felt like she could breathe again when he winked at her, in typical Pākā fashion. The little action serving to remind her that the danger was over, that he was there and she didn't have to worry anymore. It also made her smile through the pain, a grateful smile that said 'thank you' without having to say anything at all.

Unbeknownst to the girl, the wink also served to make Pītā feel better, the guilt he felt when he'd finally found Sakura after so much time apart pushing its way to the forefront of his mind. He constantly spouted teamwork and there he was, once again letting his squad down. They'd tell him differently—they were his friends, of course they would—but it didn't change the way he felt, that he could've prevented what had happened.

There was certainly no way Sakura would've been in the state she was in, not if he'd been around. "Dosu…? Oh my God, Dosu! Who—who did this to you?!" Pītā whirled around as a new voice entered his ears, a voice he wasn't yet familiar with.

Sakura however knew full well who it was, though the tone didn't carry any of the spite it usually did. The rookie Genin—Neji and Tenten too—directed their attention to the third member of the Sound trio, the member that had been unconscious for quite some time thanks to Ino. Kin had scrambled to her team leader's side, eyes wide and fraught with immediate concern as Dosu lay still, breathing slowly but breathing all the same.

Kin's attentive demeanour morphed into one of anger, into one of rage as she set her eyes upon the one lone ninja standing in the middle of the clearing. " _You!_ " She seethed, a rage-filled shaking finger pointing at the brunette and everything.

Pītā arched a perplexed eyebrow, his own digit prodding his chest. " _Me?_ " He parroted, just as confused as she was.

Kin gritted her teeth in response; she wasn't falling for his little innocent act. "You did this! I know you did, you're the only one left standing!" She reasoned, probably because it was the only conclusion she could come to.

Pītā shook his head; he wasn't going to be blamed for beating a kid half to death. "The kid that did this to your friend is long gone; I had nothing to do with this." The spider replied, keeping his voice level and calm.

Which he was admittedly having a hard time with as he recalled something Sakura had said when they'd reunited, something about having to cut her hair because 'she' wouldn't let go. Kin was the only 'she' his teammate could've been referring to, his logical mind came to the conclusion that she'd been the one to force Sakura to cut her hair. Just like her pal with the broken arms, she'd been the one to beat a single defenceless Kunoichi black and blue.

Kin glared daggers at the boy in red and blue, opening her mouth to hurl back a cascade of quite vulgar insults. "He's right… Kin…" she would have, had the bandaged boy in her arms not spoken first.

Her large ebony coloured eyes snapped down to Dosu, finding that he had indeed spoken up. "Dosu! You—you're okay!" She gushed, pulling him tighter than she would've normally allowed.

While the sound manipulator certainly wasn't opposed to such affection, he had more important matters to attend to. "Sasuke did this… to me… to Zaku… not _him_ , not the spider." Dosu explained, rising to a sitting position with his ally's aid.

Kin kept her hand pressed against his back, propping him up as she knelt by his side. "Pītā… that's your name, isn't it? Your little friend over there was so sure you'd find her… I didn't believe her of course but… well, here you are." Dosu kept his single eye solely on the Shinobi standing before him, conveying… he wasn't quite sure what he was conveying.

Same thing with Sasuke, a closed book that couldn't be opened so easily. "You saved me... and for that, you have my thanks." Dosu gingerly attempted to rise to his feet, aided every step of the way by his companion.

Pītā kept a vigil watch over him, listening to his spider-sense just in case he tried something. "Though… it changes nothing," the Sound-nin's voice suddenly jumped from an inexpressive monotone to a very low growl.

The spider acknowledged the threat, it did nothing to faze him or even make him flinch. "Wouldn't have it any other way," he responded in a friendly enough manner, doing so only to irritate the foreign ninja.

Dosu narrowed his single eye at the spider but could not act on an impulse, not with so many others around, not in his condition. "Kin, help that idiot to his feet. We're leaving," he ordered, pushing off of her and managing to stand of his own accord.

Kin hesitated but nevertheless, did as she was told. "Right," she murmured, noticing how silently angry her leader was.

She quickly made her way over to the boy she wasn't so fond of, grimacing slightly at the sheer sight of his broken limbs. "I've got you," the only girl of the trio told the downed boy, crouching down to loop an arm around him.

Zaku wasn't in any sort of condition to protest; he kept his mouth shut and swallowed his pride as the girl he'd tried to murder in cold blood aided him. "Thanks," he let slip, grunting as she hefted him to his feet.

Dosu took a moment to pull the bandages covering his mouth apart, turning to spit a wad of blood and saliva to the grass ground. "I'm curious… why did you stop him? I _am_ the enemy, this _is_ a competition… what do you hope to gain?" He queried, suspicion tainting both his razor sharp tone and his exposed eye.

The spider standing opposite him once again gave a shake of the head, surveying the area and spying his many friends and allies littered amongst it. "Not a thing, honest. Sasuke wasn't in his right mind; he was erratic, out of control. I couldn't let him do something he might've regretted… even if you probably deserved it," he cracked a little joke at the end there, narrowing his eyes as Dosu glared at him.

"Funny," the injured teenager immediately shot back, pondering the superhuman Leaf-nin in his presence.

There was more to him than met the eye, something peculiar that wasn't the ability to spin spider-silk. "I really _do_ appreciate you saving my life, but it does not make us friends. The next time we cross paths—regardless of what just happened here—there will be no running or hiding, no common ground between us. Am I clear, Pītā?" Dosu asked, using the boy's first name as though he knew him.

It was something the acrobatic Genin did not appreciate, setting his jaw as he nodded. "Crystal," he answered, choosing not to grant the Oto-nin the same courtesy.

The name would've tasted sour, would've felt wrong coming from his mouth. "Then my team and I will take our leave," Dosu finally ended the little impromptu back and forth, gingerly turning on his heel and retreating into the dense foliage of the forest behind him.

Pītā once again gave a shake of the head as he placed his hands on his waist, watching Kin aid Zaku as they towed after their leader. "About time," he muttered, suddenly feeling a little tired as he brought his hand up to his forehead and shut his eyes in fatigue.

After so much drama, one exhausting thing after another, things had finally settled down. As a sombre silence fell onto the clearing, a stiff wind breezed through it, prompting the small gathering of Leaf ninja to finally come to their senses and move once again. The first to move was Tenten, leaping off of the moss covered tree branch she'd been perched on. The brunette girl dressed in the Chinese style blouse braced herself for impact as she landed, rolling forward over the soft cushy grass.

Next to make a move, much to everyone's surprise, was a fully awake Naruto. "Sakura?" The blonde energetic lad lowered himself to the floor in front of the haggard looking girl, his bright blue eyes shining with concern.

Sakura took a moment to blink after being greeted by his unusually quiet tone, such a far cry from his bombastically loud demeanour. "Naruto… you're okay," she stated the obvious, stunning the kid dressed in blue and orange as she pulled him into a hug.

Naruto stiffened, not completely sure what he was supposed to do in such a new situation. "Sure I am! Nothing can keep me down for long, believe it!" He grinned his way through it, cheeks heating up like a furnace as the girl only held him tighter.

He couldn't remember the last time he'd been hugged, if at all. "What happened to your hair? It's… different," the jinchūriki pointed out, tilting his head in confusion, not dissimilar to that of a puppy.

The Kunoichi garbed in her torn red dress pulled out of the embrace, the relieved smile disappearing from her lips as she averted eye contact. "Oh, I… I just thought that it was getting in the way. It wasn't exactly styled for survival so… yeah," she bluffed her way through, not quite having the heart to tell the boy that she'd suffered a severe beating at the hands of three enemy ninja.

Naruto didn't seem convinced, frowning as he furrowed his brow. "But you love your hair," he pointed out; even someone as clueless as he was knew how much pride she took in her formerly long pink locks.

Sakura nodded, bowing her head and doing her best to smile through the pain. "I just wanted a change, Naruto. That's all, I swear." She excused, embarrassed by the entire event.

The knucklehead mulled it over, eyeing her shorter haircut with a very analytical eye. "Well… I think it looks great," he decided, closing his eyes and giving a toothy grin.

Sakura couldn't help but smile back, she may have had her problems with the boy but she could tell he meant it. "Appreciate it," she spoke quietly, earning an enthusiastic nod of approval in return.

A few feet away, Tenten crouched by the teammate she'd been looking for all morning. "Lee?" She diligently called, gently nudging his arm with her hand.

Seconds passed and she received no answer, merely the steady rise and fall of his green spandex-clad chest as he breathed. "Oh, for the love of—Lee!" Tenten bellowed, gripping the thirteen year old by the arms and shaking with all her might.

The result was instantaneous as the boy with the bowl haircut jerked awake and upright, his circular eyes pried open and twitching. "Gah! I… Tenten? What're you doing here?" The soft-spoken ninja queried, his cheeks lighting up as she arched an eyebrow, unimpressed by his mini-heart attack.

Tenten shook her head, prodding his chest with her finger. "What, a girl can't help her teammate out?" She posed the rhetorical question, an amused smile passing over her lips.

A smile which Lee was grateful for, immediately calming him down as he took a moment to ponder. "I was… protecting Sakura; the ninja from the Hidden Sound Village assaulted her. They… wait a minute, where are they?" The Genin strained to look around the area, finding those he considered allies but not those he categorized as enemies.

The girl in his company did the same, her brown coloured eyes scanning the vicinity intently. "Gone, you just missed them. Between Sasuke and Pītā, I think turning tail and running was the smartest move they could've made." She explained, studying the spider in question as he kept his eyes focused on the treelines.

He was keeping watch, making sure Dosu and his team were gone for good. "I… I see," Lee weakly replied, his pride taking a nosedive as he hadn't been the one to drive them off.

Tenten recognized the look of disappointment, the look of defeat passing over his features. "They were dangerous, Lee. Three against one isn't a fair fight, no matter how you swing it. What… what possessed you to try your luck against those odds?" She grilled, her concern for the lad fading and giving way to her frustration.

Because it was such a Rock Lee thing to do, fight a fight he couldn't win. "Sakura was in danger; I could not stand by and do nothing." He explained, his tone full of conviction.

Tenten knew that given the chance, he would've done it again if he could've. "You did the right thing; just… just promise me you'll be a little more careful next time." She asked, her stern expression softening as he was just trying to protect a friend.

Lee beamed, showcasing that blinding grin as he nodded. "You do not have to tell me twice!" He hit back, once again full of life, energy and… youth.

Naruto stared over at the boy clad in green spandex, sat up on the grass floor of the forest as he gave one of his trademark thumbs up. "Hey, what's bushy brows doing here? What're all you guys doing here?" The smallest of the ninja present—also the only one completely out of the loop on things—voiced his question to the air, gazing around at his former Academy classmates.

Shikamaru, Ino and Chōji slowly made their way out of the cover of the bushes they'd been hidden behind. "We came to help… you're welcome, by the way." The former felt a smile pull at the corner of his lips, not one of humour but one of relief as he strolled over to the boy with his hands stuffed into his pockets.

While Naruto's confused words had invited discussion, they'd also served to remind Sakura of something important. The girl prepared herself to move, having been laid out on her knees for quite some time during the fight. She slowly and steadily rose of the ground, her pale legs wobbling momentarily but managing to stay stable.

The pink haired Kunoichi carefully made her way over to the downed boy that had protected her, offering a friendly smile to Tenten as she too lowered herself to the soft ground. "How's he holding up?" She checked up first, her emerald green eyes scanning the various scrapes and bruises on Lee's face.

Tenten shook her head in exasperation; there wasn't much that Lee couldn't bounce back from. "Heart of a lion, this one. He's fine, trust me." She assured, though couldn't help but notice the way Lee was intently staring at the newcomer.

Kneeling beside him, one of her eyes swollen, Lee was completely enraptured once again by the angel in the red dress. "Lee… before we go back to being enemies in this competition, I just wanted to say thank you. You had no business standing up for me, no reason to throw yourself into harm's way, yet… you did it anyway." Sakura recognized the ninja's brave and selfless act, a very clear fondness in her voice that made Lee's heart grow three sizes.

True to his feelings, he dumbly nodded. "I would gladly do so again, for the lotus of the Leaf blooms twice, Sakura." He boldly claimed, those large circular eyes of his glazing over in admiration.

Sakura smiled, going so far as to pat his leg in thanks. "Is there anything I can do to repay you? Besides the whole 'girlfriend' thing, I mean?" She made sure to clarify herself, just about catching the lovesick boy as he opened his mouth in joy.

Lee steeled himself, grinning embarrassingly as he shut his ebony coloured eyes and rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh… it is not necessary then," he murmured, enticing a grateful nod from the object of his affections and a roll of the eyes from his brunette companion.

A good several yards away from the niceties, Pītā was too busy making sure that the trio of Sound ninja had left for good. One couldn't be too careful, especially after Dosu's parting words. A few solid minutes passed before the spider deemed it safe, turning away from the thick treeline of forest and dark moss coloured greens.

Both of his eyebrows shot up, mirroring the surprise he felt when faced with a little too close for comfort Neji Hyūga. "How long have you been standing there?" Said eyebrows lowered themselves, furrowing to match his confusion.

Neji stood with his arms folded, as if he knew any other way to stand as he stared right at the young clan-heir. "I saw what you did," he brushed Pītā's inquiry aside with a statement, his voice wearing a very blunt and no-nonsense tone.

The web-slinger shook his head, shrugging as he attempted to walk right by the prodigy. "Not following you, bright eyes." He snarked, though there was no effort to the remark.

The way his shoulders were slumped, Pītā figured that everything that had happened was starting to catch up to him. "Don't play dumb with me, Pākā. You had no way of knowing what Sasuke could've done just now, no way of knowing whether he'd calm down or not." Neji moved, firmly planting his sandals into the soft blades of grass beneath them as he blocked Pītā's path.

The spider once again raised his eyebrows, wearing a look that deadpanned 'really?' without having to say a word. "Is this going somewhere?" He instead chose to entertain the long haired teenager, folding his arms in slight irritation as he mirrored Neji's stance.

Last year's number one rookie wore such an emotionless expression that Pītā was having a hard time reading it, he was seriously starting to doubt whether the kid was capable of cracking a smile. "I'm trying to decide whether you were incredibly brave or unbelievably stupid… I'm leaning towards the latter for some reason," he pondered, adding a little insult in there for good measure.

An insult that would've actually carried some weight had Neji accompanied it with a smug smile but as previously established, he just wore a blank albeit stern expression. "Did you just make a funny?" Pītā asked and it was a genuine question, curiosity shining in the only visible feature of his face.

"This is serious and you know it is, we need to keep an eye on Sasuke." Neji once again disregarded Pītā's little remark, cutting right down to the meat of the issue.

An issue the preteen was surprised Neji was coming to him with; given the fact that he was fairly sure he hated him. "Oh, so now it's 'we' all of a sudden?" The brown haired lad tilted his head, mild amusement playing on his hidden lips.

Neji set his jaw, he realized that he might have come off a little abrasive during their first meeting but Pītā was really starting to push his buttons. "You may think of me as some sort of arrogant jerk but I—" He was ready with a reply but paused, not expecting to have been cut off by his company.

Perhaps he should've, the boy was very talkative. "I'm just messing with you, Neji. No harm, no foul." Pītā shrugged, he really wasn't interested in going round in circles with Hinata's older cousin.

It was Neji's turn to raise his eyebrows in surprise, though he quickly composed himself and cleared his throat. "Well… regardless, I'm not an idiot. I can recognize when someone is capable, these rookies don't understand what just happened, even I'm not fully sure. But you… from what I saw, you're capable. We need to be prepared in case it happens again," he explained, drawing a nod of understanding from the masked ninja.

Pītā agreed, even though he'd managed to get through to Sasuke—and even then, it'd really been Yakumo in the end—the kid was still dangerous. "Are you proposing a partnership?" He queried, a minute dose of scepticism woven within his words.

Neji averted those lavender tinted eyes of his for a moment, apparently hesitating at the mere sound of the word 'partnership'. "More of a compromise, if Sasuke… 'acts up' again, I won't stand by and do nothing." Once again, those piercing, almost otherworldly eyes locked with Pītā's own.

He shook his head, a little impressed the kid was offering his help without actually offering it. "I'll hold you to that, Neji." Pītā held his hand out, raising his eyebrows expectantly.

While Neji may have been sour and his cousin sweet, he still possessed a certain sense of honour just like most Shinobi. The older boy offered his right hand—the one wrapped in bandages—to his technical enemy, finding a firm gloved grip. They shook, before immediately relinquishing their grasp with Neji turning away from the spider and towards his downed teammates.

"I think that's enough pleasantries for today, don't you? Lee, Tenten, it's time for us to continue on with our task." He uttered nothing of the conversation he'd just had, reassuming his firm tone as he placed a hand on his waist.

Tenten arched a quizzical eyebrow, Lee was instantly disheartened to hear the news. "Shouldn't we rest up a bit? Lee hasn't even found his feet yet," the only female member of Team 3 voiced her concern, frowning when Neji responded with a glare.

Lee placed a bandaged hand on the girl's petit shoulder, drawing her attention as he did his best to smile. "It is all right, Tenten. Neji's right, the exams are not yet over and we still have much work to do." He managed to temper the argument between his teammates before it had even started as the brunette relented, sighing as she helped him to his feet.

Lee winced slightly, holding his head in mild discomfort but other than that, he was no worse for wear. "Good luck in the rest of the exams, Lee." Sakura didn't join him, not having the strength to stand yet again.

The kid garbed in tight green spandex grinned, winking down at the girl as his cheeks glowed. "Until we meet again, Sakura." Lee wistfully responded, urging an exaggerated roll of the eyes from the girl with the Chinese buns in her hair.

Tenten was the first to set off, passing by Neji and marching right up to Pītā. "Stay on top of that fever, Pītā." She prodded a finger directly into his firm chest, eliciting a shake of the head from the taller lad.

"Thank you, doctor." He smugly replied, watching as Tenten parted with a wave.

In tow of his teammate, Rock Lee was right behind her as he felt a hand halt him in place. "Pītā?" The skilled Taijutsu user did not know the boy well, only really recalling his name from their brief meeting during sign up for the exams and hearing everybody else speak it.

The spider felt no resistance as he kept Lee in place for a moment; he doubted the ninja had the effort anyway. "We don't know each other, Lee. We don't, not a bit. So… this is gonna sound a little out there but… if you need anything, anything at all… don't hesitate to ask. I owe you one, okay? Big time," Pītā's eyes held complete sincerity as he addressed the energetic boy with the bowl haircut, the guilt rising to the forefront once again as he owned up to his shortcomings.

He hadn't been there for his team when they'd needed him most; he hadn't been there for Sakura when she'd needed him most. "While it isn't necessary, I am grateful for the offer, Pītā." Lee nodded in gratitude, feeling the firm hand on his shoulder slip off altogether.

It was his turn to gain Pītā's attention by mirroring the preteen's actions, placing a hand on the torn shoulder of his flak jacket. "A word of advice though… do not leave her alone again," there was no spite in Lee's voice, simply concern for a friend he held very dear.

And even though Lee hadn't meant it to, the words only served as a reminder to what Pītā had failed to do. "Got it," the Shukeikō-Clan heir shortly responded, feeling just a tad worse with every passing moment.

Lee left without another word, leaving Pītā alone with his increasingly guilt ridden thoughts. He knew what he was doing, he was stressing about it too much, obsessing over it to an almost unhealthy degree. The thing was, he didn't know why. He talked of responsibility as though he actually understood what he was talking about, when he'd failed his biggest responsibility of all.

His team, a newly awake and just as chipper as ever Naruto and a delicate cherry blossom that had been beaten to her knees. Pītā forced himself to avert his eyes, clenching his jaw as he could not bear to gaze at Sakura any longer. That same pang of guilt striking at his heart, forcing him to take a deep breath and reassess things.

The wall-crawler was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he barely registered a departing Neji nodding towards him, acknowledging his leave with a half-hearted wave. More of a dismissive gesture of his gloved hand than an actual fully formed wave, the member of the Hyūga branch family didn't dwell on it as he looked towards his own team and the problems they faced, finally divorcing himself from the issues of others as he disappeared into the chaos of the forest around them.

It was safe to say that Pītā couldn't have been expecting yet another person to take him aside for a quiet word… well, as quiet as it could get with Ino Yamanaka. "Where were you?" The shorter blonde asked as she gripped the boy's dark blue sleeve and yanked, pulling him along with her as she marched a good distance away from the other rookie Genin.

Pītā was almost too stumped to react but just managed to remember that he was on planet Earth, planting his feet and almost bringing Ino to the floor as he refused to take another step. "Run that by me again?" He responded, ignoring the embarrassing shade of red glowing in her cheeks as she caught herself.

Ino plucked up enough courage to poke Pītā directly in the chest—he noticed that girls loved doing that to him—staring down at the girl as she was all up in his business, ice cold blue eyes glaring daggers at him. "Where. Were. You." The self-absorbed Kunoichi enunciated, driving the point home that she was clearly ticked off about something.

What that something was… Pītā had absolutely no clue, arching an expressive eyebrow as he blinked momentarily. "Ino, I—"He began, only to be cut off by the pint-sized loudmouth, drawing curious and confused stares from their peers some yards away.

No sweat off of Ino's back as she didn't let up one bit, pointing her index finger right in Pītā's face. "You left Sakura all by herself! She could have been killed!" She harshly whispered, an effort to not bring attention to their little conversation.

Something that was failing spectacularly, Pītā noted. "I don't—" The spider once again tried to get a word in, though took a step back and rolled his eyes as Ino jumped on the offensive.

"My team had to jump in and save her, a job that belongs to you. You're supposed to be her teammate, not Shikamaru, not Chōji and definitely not me. I don't want to have to pick up your slack again," her temper seemed to simmer a little, though she still seemed pretty mad.

Pītā was about to do his best to respond when he paused, furrowing his brow in mild confusion. "Wait a second… I thought you hated Sakura?" He posed the wonderment, staring down at the girl who had mysteriously gone quiet.

Ino had been stunned into silence, her words failing her as she wracked her brain for a coherent response. "I… I… I do not _hate_ Sakura, okay?! She's just… I mean, I have this thing… you know what, it's complicated." She reasoned, folding her arms and fixing the lad with a stern smouldering glare.

Pītā raised his gloved hands in defence; he wasn't going to press any more than he needed to. "I'll take your word for it, half-pint." He let a laugh escape his lips, just trying to ease the tension with a bit of humour.

It seemed to get some sort of reaction as Ino's expression softened, that wasn't saying much though as she previously looked about ready to kill him. "I'm being serious, Pītā Pākā. If something like this happens again and you're not around to do your part, I don't care how strong you are, I'll destroy you." Pītā's suspicions were correct, nodding along as if it was the norm to hear a girl threaten him with bodily harm.

He wasn't going to poke or prod at her; she looked pretty beat up herself. "I dropped the ball, Ino… I'm sorry." Pītā instead shrugged, physically and mentally exhausted as he found himself admitting how he'd messed up yet again.

Ino's icy stare shifted slightly, melting away and giving cause to something a little more along the lines of a sympathetic gaze… almost. "I don't think _I'm_ the one you should be apologizing to, she… she's been through a lot." That sympathy was not meant for him as Ino turned her pale blue eyes away from the spider, directing them towards her former childhood friend who still sat on a soft bed of green grass.

Pītā mimicked her, something stinging his soul as Sakura stared right back at them. He didn't have much of anything to say to that, so he simply tore his eyes away from his downtrodden friend and placed a hand on Ino's shoulder. It wasn't boisterous; the action didn't have any hidden intentions behind it, it was gentle and conveyed comradery.

As such, Ino wasn't so quick to brush it off or step away from the gesture. "I'm not mad at you, I was just… I was scared. I—I've never seen anything like that," she let a little honesty bleed through her hardy exterior, earning a shake of the head from her usually chatty company.

The red and blue acrobat was unusually quiet, keeping his words short and to the point as he removed his hand from her shoulder. "That makes two of us," he left her side, finally striding toward the pink haired girl on her own.

Ino arched an eyebrow at his sudden departure, about to give chase when she caught herself. "You were really scared?" She called after him, curiosity lacing her voice as what had happened played back in her mind.

Pītā hadn't seemed scared, not in the slightest. If anything, she would've used the word 'brave' to describe his actions… as much as she hated to admit it. He was the only one of them who'd managed to keep his cool, keep himself absolutely composed and steady in such a tense situation. Ino hadn't known him as long as Sakura, first being exposed to the boy when he'd joined the Academy halfway through their first year.

He was annoying, constantly spouting jokes that he thought were hilarious and constantly getting under Ino's skin on purpose. "Terrified," the resident jester answered back with a laugh, confusing the blonde haired girl.

Knowing that he'd been just as scared as she'd been during the entire event changed things a little for her, it made him seem less spider-like and a lot more human-like. That'd been one of the biggest things souring her opinion of the boy since they'd first met, there was just something slightly off about him. His powers, his unique demeanour, his ability to laugh at anything always made him seem so different, so… inhuman.

But letting those pale blue orbs look at him—really look at him—then and there, with his flak jacket in charred tatters, his hair messier and more unkempt than it usually was, he seemed just as human as any of them. The admirable nobility he'd displayed betraying his monstrous strength, it almost made him seem approachable… almost.

Pītā turned around, walking backwards step by step as he gestured behind him. "Come say hi," gestured to the girl sitting on the forest floor, watching the two of them like a hawk.

Ino cursed underneath her breathe, she'd been hoping to skip out of things and not have to talk to her supposed 'eternal rival'. But Pītā being Pītā, he eliminated that chance, constantly forcing others into uncomfortable situations. It didn't take long for Ino to join the taller lad, standing over a sorry looking Sakura with an uneasy smile.

"Umm… hi," Sakura started, staring up at her peer but only able to see her out of one eye.

Ino didn't answer right away, taking in the injured state of the girl with an expression that could've been pity. It could've been many things, Ino's fair complexion was so riddled with conflicting emotions that it seemed her little twelve year old psyche didn't know how to deal with everything that had happened.

Until an elbow prodded at her arm, causing her to grit her teeth and hiss at the boy standing next to her. She didn't say anything, swallowing such a scream that it would've made Pītā's highly sensitive ears bleed but one wrathful look told him to back off. Ino didn't know why but he was trying to encourage her, trying to goad her into replying.

Pītā held up his hands and backed off, he really didn't want to have to confront a raging Ino right after everything that had happened. He took his leave in silence, he usually would've left with a joke or on some snappy one-liner but… he just wasn't feeling it. Instead, the spider thought it was high time he caught up with the little blonde prankster that was his teammate.

Ino watched the chocolate eyed boy leave with a narrowed pair of her own, Sakura offered him a small smile as she felt his hand rest on her shoulder for the briefest of moments. The gentle pressure left her petit frame and the cherry blossom found herself alone with her childhood friend, one of the two people that had first befriended her.

It was awkward, painfully so as Sakura sat there and Ino stood there. "Your hair's a mess," the latter finally broke the small bout of silence that had developed between the pair, eliciting several stunned blinks out of her peer.

The Kunoichi in the torn red dress reached up behind her ear to grasp at the tufts of hair she had left, hastily cut and strewn about. "Want me to tidy it up a bit?" Ino spoke yet again, not giving Sakura enough time to do the same.

She dumbly nodded, following Ino's movements as she circled around and stood behind her. "Still can't believe you cut it, _you_ of all people." Ino muttered, gliding her fingers across Sakura's ragged locks as she straightened them out in something more presentable.

Sakura tilted her head forward, allowing Ino a clearer look at the back of her head. "There wasn't much else I could do, Ino." She reasoned, her voice still slightly croaky from all of the shouting and crying she'd done.

The Yamanaka girl retrieved her kunai knife from the holster on her thigh, seeing to the inconsistent length of her hair like a professional. "I know that, it's just… didn't think you had it in you." The little hairdresser replied, carefully slicing her blade across every stray piece of pink hair she could find.

Sakura didn't fidget as she evened it out, though a part of her felt as though she was playing salon with Ino just as they'd done when they were children. "Was that a compliment?" She asked, feeling the girl's careful hands pause for a moment.

She was thinking about her answer, thinking hard enough to warrant ceasing her work. "Yep, and with that comes a critique. The cut could've been cleaner; you'd think you used a pair of safety scissors much less a sharpened blade of steel, honestly." After much thought, Ino finally answered with a smug smile.

Sakura would've shaken her head, had Ino not been holding it firmly in place. "Thanks for the encouragement," she tiredly responded, though was secretly enjoying the conversation with the girl.

There was no animosity, nothing they were fighting over. Nothing was driving them into wild frenzies, no boy coming between them. No exchange of insults, no Ino-pig, no billboard brow, nothing. Ino felt it too, that content and comfortable feeling that swelled inside a person when talking to a friend.

The feeling she used to experience with Sakura, oh so long ago. "I'm glad you're not dead," Ino stated in an absent minded manner, a little blunt but direct as slightly dirty pink locks filtered through her fingers.

Sakura felt a smile pull at the corner of her mouth, relief shining through that visibly exhausted exterior. "Me too," she admitted, barely audible due to her meek tone of voice.

"You know, that teammate of yours can be a real piece of work." Ino observed, shaking her head as she blew stray pieces of hair off of Sakura's shoulders.

The Kunoichi involuntarily flinched at the feeling of warm breath on her neck; she glanced at the acting hairdresser out of the corner of her eye to see that Ino had holstered her blade. "I know, _believe_ me." Sakura enunciated, earning a smirk out of her companion as she rose to her full height.

Ino gave the girl a once over, placing her hands on her yet to develop waist in the meantime. "He's brash, he's rude, he's weird and he's kind of a jerk." She opined, speaking her mind and not letting anything hold her back as always.

Sakura concurred with an apt nod; her appreciation of Pītā didn't stop her from seeing the shortcomings of the lad. "Right on all accounts, Ino. Doesn't change the fact that I'm glad he was here to stop things from getting any worse, to stop _Sasuke_ from getting any worse." She elected to stay seated, lazily tilting her head skyward to meet her friend's gaze.

Ino furrowed her brow slightly, staring at the swollen eye of her friend and frowning at the thought of what had happened somehow being worse. "Me too," she admitted, recognizing that despite his abrasive personality, the boy definitely had his uses.

The floored preteen reached up to the back of her head, fingering through her neatly trimmed locks with a flourishing smile. "Better?" Sakura queried brightly, her spirits having been considerably lifted by her friend's favour.

Ino nodded, wearing quite a self-assured grin herself. "You know, if being a ninja wasn't such a concern for me, a hairstylist might not be a bad second choice." She boasted, actually taking a liking to the new short haired look of her former friend.

Sakura tilted her head askew, wonder lighting up those drab features of hers. "I thought being a florist was your second choice," she innocently questioned, silencing her company for the briefest of moments.

The pause for thought didn't last long as Ino shrugged, giving a half-smile in response. "I can multitask," she humorously shot back, enticing a nod from her fellow Leaf-nin.

Mere strides away, the two males of Team 7 were reunited as Naruto hopped to his feet, a grin lighting up his whisker-decorated features. "Pītā!" The boy beamed, bounding up to the lad he hadn't seen in so long.

The spider stopped him in his tracks, his palm directly against the prankster's chest as he was about to be tackled by yet another unexpected hug. "I don't think we're quite there yet, Naruto." He laughed at the kid's confused expression, moving his hand to his shoulder to give it a hearty pat.

Naruto folded his arms in frustration, simmering slightly as he shook his head. "What gives? Where've you been?" He peppered the lad with questions, earning a rather dismissive wave in return.

Not because he was trying to be rude, just because Pītā had had quite enough of questions on his whereabouts. "I was busy, ran into some trouble, that's all." He excused himself, furrowing his brow when Naruto began eyeing him up and down.

"Looks like whoever it was did a real number on you," he observed, taking note of the torn and burnt clothes Pītā was sporting.

The clan-heir rubbed the back of his neck, his aunt was really going to kill him for the jacket. "Not that it matters but… I gave as good as I got, you know? Anyway, it's good to see you, whiskers." He quickly changed the subject, removing his hand with a hidden smile.

Naruto dropped it as just like Sakura, Pītā seemed pretty low in spirits and high in exhaustion. "You too, Pītā." He instead settled for a return smile, picking up on the shortness of Pītā's tone.

The brunette gave an appreciative nod but remained silent; there wasn't really much of anything else to say. "Well, now that the lovely couple have rekindled things… maybe we should split." Shikamaru cut into the conversation that was going nowhere, earning a set of glares from the boys dressed in red and blue and orange and blue.

"And I _am_ awful hungry," Chōji—the largest lad present—reminded his teammate and allies, though not technically allies due to the parameters of the exam.

Naruto was about to comment, his finger raised and maw wide open when his stomach decided to talk for him. "Oh… guess I'm hungry too," he abashedly stated, his belly growling something fierce as his cheeks heated up.

Pītā snorted, receiving a narrow of the eyes from the embarrassed kid. "We're all hungry, boys." Ino butted into the discussion that had somehow shifted to food, surprisingly aiding Sakura with her walking as they made their way over to the group of preteen lads.

"It's… been a long day," the pink haired lass stated the obvious, her eyes struggling to stay open as she felt more tired than she did hungry.

Ino wordlessly passed the girl off to Pītā, who turned around and cocked a thumb over his shoulder. "Piggyback?" He grinned; spying the defeated look on Sakura's worn out complexion.

Against her better judgement, she slowly wrapped her arms around the boy's neck. "Just don't drop me," she warned, feeling weightless as he effortlessly lifted her off of the grass ground.

Pītā hooked his arms underneath her legs, facing front as she rested her head on his shoulder. "Sticky fingers," he cheekily shot back, looking at her dreary form out of the corner of his eye.

Sakura yawned, her eyes fluttering shut as even the act of maintaining a conversation became too taxing for her. "Good… point…" she sleepily muttered, eventually losing consciousness altogether as she finally had somewhere semi-comfortable to rest her eyes.

Blonde eyebrows slowly rose as Naruto leaned in close to take a good look at his slumbering teammate, curiosity swimming in those bright blue orbs. "She's asleep," he observed, with such an obvious innocence that Pītā couldn't help but smirk.

"Look at her, Naruto. She's been wide awake since yesterday morning, she watched over you throughout the entire night, had to fight off bandage boy, his girlfriend and his mentally disturbed attack dog. Nothing about a year of sleep won't fix, right?" He quipped, turning away from his companion and towards the 'enemy' team still in their presence.

Ino took one last look at the girl using Pītā's shoulder as a pillow, not unlike a child would their parent. "Let's not make this a regular thing, okay?" She cocked her head, placing a hand on her waist as she employed a little bit of that famed sass she was known for.

Pītā nodded, he really didn't like others shouldering his responsibilities. "As much as I enjoy your enchanting company, I couldn't agree more, Ino." He snarked, sarcasm dripping in his voice as the danger had passed, they were free to talk as kids again.

The fair skinned child rolled her eyes, though managed a smile in spite of the rib. "Game of shōgi whenever we can?" Shikamaru chimed in; hands firmly stuffed into his pants pockets as he levelled an expectant look the spider's way.

The wall-crawler bobbed his head, as if trying to decide whether to agree or not. "Sure, I can spare a few minutes to spank you all over the village." He laughed, grinning underneath that dark blue mask of his as the analytical ninja shook his head.

"What's the score again, Pītā?" Shikamaru queried, arching an eyebrow with a tell-tale smirk present on his lips.

The superhuman shook his head, averting his gaze but unable to rid himself of the grin. "You can leave at any time, you know." He joked, watching the raven haired genius offer a nod of his head before turning on his heel to depart.

"Later, kid." He made sure to turn and give a wave to the prankster dressed in orange and blue, earning quite an enthusiastic wave in return.

Chōji was next to leave, wherever Shikamaru went, he was never too far behind. "I'd love to say it's been fun but… well, it's been horrible actually. I'm tired, hungry and hungry. Did I mention I was hungry?" He voiced, receiving nods of acknowledgement all around.

The large boy shrugged, traipsing off after his childhood friend. "I'm thinking fish, maybe with a little seasoning if I can find the right herbs." Chōji murmured to himself, daydreaming about his next meal, whenever that salivating moment would come.

A quartet of Konoha students were left behind, one of them blissfully unaware of the world around her for the first time in more than a day, mild amusement playing across their features. "I should be going too, we're not even supposed to be talking to each other let alone working together." Ino spoke up and she did speak the truth, though another truth had become incredibly apparent to the children too.

That not everything was black and white, not everything was so cut and dry or straightforward. "Good luck, Ino." Naruto solemnly stated, offering her a solid nod as they stood there in the sombre wake of all out chaos.

Ino nodded back, surprising the sunshine blonde preteen. "You don't need luck when you're this pretty, Naruto." She then proceeded to immediately reset the boys' expectations, reinforcing her somewhat self-absorbed viewpoint of herself.

But it wasn't serious, just a bit of fun really. For once, she was waving something other than her fist at them as she left, her purple colours disappearing into the dense green foliage all around them. And then was nothing but silence as Naruto and Pītā finally looked at each other, alone sans their slumbering third teammate's slow methodical breathing and the crickets that had just started to come out, chirping into the early evening as night slowly approached.

"Naruto, you wanna break off and scout up ahead?" Pītā requested, breaking the silence with quite a blunt command.

The jinchūriki tilted his head, a little taken aback as things had suddenly regressed back to business as usual. "Why don't you do it?" He posed, the two of them setting off slowly in tandem with one another.

Pītā jerked his head in the direction of the… yeah, she was drooling on his shoulder. "I have a Sakura on my back; you really wanna risk waking her?" He smirked as the boy's skin suddenly went ghost white, a lump forming in his throat.

Naruto shook his head, swallowing the lump as he broke into a sprint and darted off ahead. "I'm not arguing with that," he murmured, using his Chakra control to bound up the nearest tree in an effort to carry out the task that had been set to him.

Pītā trudged along with his charge, shifting her weight every now and then as he navigated protruding rocks and stepped over twisting vines. While being attacked or ambushed was a genuine concern, he'd already strained to listen as far ahead as he was able to. Nobody was around; nothing that even remotely posed a threat to any of them was in the vicinity.

Honestly, the task he'd set Naruto had given him a chance to be alone with his thoughts. Despite his mouthy nature, the previous day and current day's events had sapped him of all energy. He really wasn't in a talkative mood; it'd taken every ounce of his effort just to keep up the small talk between the rookie Genin.

It was new to him, being so tired, just being done with everything. But it was Sakura's turn to sleep and there was no way he was leaving Naruto alone to watch over the pair of them, such were the responsibilities he carried. Pītā blinked a few times; attempting to clear the drowsy feeling he was experiencing and set his jaw, staving off an oncoming yawn.

He wasn't tired, he wasn't. At least, those were the words he kept repeating in his head in an effort to stay alert and aware.

* * *

The passage of time darkened the sky over the Forest of Death, early evening rolling around and plunging quite a humid environment into brisk cold temperatures. It didn't make much difference; day or night, the mangled mess of woods was trapped in a perpetual state of dimness. If the sheer volume of dangerous creatures and beasts crawling over the wild area wasn't enough to put someone on edge, then the eerie and almost ominous feeling the forest itself gave off certainly picked up the slack.

Thick fog and mist rolled over the forest floor, covering rocks, tree roots and vines in a thick blanket of wispy white. It would've been funny had it not been real, almost resembling a scene in one of those old B-List horror movies. At least, that was how the girl without the rest of her squad was trying to rationalize it. Saying she was a redhead would've been an understatement, her short hair—curiously messy on the right side whilst straight and tidy on the left—was a deep crimson red, matching the intense warm colour of her eyes.

Said eyes were covered by a pair of brown glasses, perhaps hinting at poor eyesight. Her bangs hung over her forehead protector, slightly obscuring the spiky symbol of Kusagakure, the Village Hidden in the Grass. The girl seemed panicked, not overly so but enough to lose her footing every now and then as she traversed the fog covered landscape with trepidation and dirt decorating her features.

Her name was Karin Fujita and she'd been left alone by her two teammates, left to look after their Earth scroll while they tried to track down a Heaven scroll. She hadn't seen either one of them in hours, she'd spent half the time on her toes and the other half obsessing over whether they'd left her because they trusted her to keep the scroll safe or hadn't trusted her skills in a fight.

Karin wasn't sure what was worse, that they actually thought that about her or that she sort of agreed. "Just stay calm… I'm sure they're fine, totally fine. Probably on their way here right now with a second scroll, then we can leave this Godforsaken place and never come back." She murmured to herself, almost chanted actually as she nervously laughed.

The Genin was a little obsessive, she tended to gravitate towards certain things and once she'd done so, she had a hard time letting go. In fact, she never let go. It was one of the reasons she'd even been sent to take part in the Chūnin Exams on behalf of her village, her proficiency in the art of Chakra Healing was extraordinary for a child of her age.

As Karin pondered more and more, she had a hard time admitting that it was most likely the only reason she'd been sent. To look after the boys, her two male teammates that were stronger than her, faster than her, more talented Shinobi than she was a Kunoichi. She didn't disagree, though it didn't lessen the sting of hearing those exact words from the people of her village. A village that had no faith in her and she no faith in it, if she was being completely honest with herself.

Her day to day life in the small village to the North West of the Land of Fire usually followed the day she'd had thus far, feeling like an afterthought or a tool to be of use. Not a person, never a person. She probably had to owe her lack of self-confidence to the way she'd been treated, talked down at but never talked _to_ ever since she was a child.

Even by her parents, the couple that had taken her in after her birth mother had passed. They tried; they really did try with her. It was more Karin's problem than it was their own, she just never felt at home with them. She never felt truly content, even after she'd left the name Uzumaki behind and fully embraced the adopted Fujita.

She'd done so in an effort to forget the past, painful memories that only served to upset her rather than spur her on were best left untouched. She wasn't quite there yet, she wasn't fully ready to look back on her early life and by extension, the heritage that came with the Uzumaki name.

Perhaps she would've been one day…

The lonely girl rounded a tree, lost in her own thoughts and too distracted to have been in such a competitive environment, literally surrounded on all sides by enemy ninja. Ninja that came from all walks of life, ninja from the Sand Village, ninja from the Rain Village, ninja from the Sound Village and ninja on their home turf, the Leaf Village. Ninja that would not have hesitated to put her down, be it without a whisper or kicking and screaming.

Though at that precise moment, ninja were the least of her worries. "…" Karin attempted to say something, anything as she stumbled upon the nightmare inducing sight of a wild bear.

Not just any wild bear, a bear so huge that Karin had to look skyward in order to stare at its head. A bear that was noticeably in the middle of a meal, the sickening sound of flesh tearing and bones snapping entering her twelve year old ears. She immediately felt sick, but could not move to hold her stomach in pain, she couldn't move to lurch forward and throw up.

Karin had frozen, locked within a single moment of jaw-dropping terror. She didn't move, she _couldn't_ move. Stood there in complete silence, as though her voice had been stolen away, as the bear tore into what she could only assume was a male deer, a stag if she remembered correctly. It wasn't long before the distinct smell of copper filled her nose and Karin had to slap both hands over it, her eyes watering as her entire body shook in fear.

The bear's small furry ears—proportionate to the rest of his body, still absolutely enormous compared to her—twitched slightly, picking up the sound of possible movement. Unceremoniously, without any kind of warning, it turned its head and stared its beady black eyes directly at the tiny morsel of meat encroaching upon its dinner.

Suffice to say, the ear-popping roar had been just enough motivation for Karin to force herself out of her stupor. It also served to completely drown out the blood-curdling scream she'd let slip as she sprinted away as fast as her legs would carry her. She refused to look back, to glance over her shoulder, even as the Earth around her shook. Resounding booms only grew louder as the bear pursued her, tons of fat, muscle and momentum all locked onto the tasty fleeing mammal.

Both parties involved in the chase were caught off-guard when the girl fell, catching her sandal in a vine and pretty much face-planting the ground. She'd been so focused on running for dear life that the thought of tripping hadn't even occurred to her or the bear for that matter, it'd been putting so much effort into moving in one singular direction that it'd had completely bypassed its quarry as she disappeared into the blanket of fog lying over the ground.

The fiercely redheaded ninja raised said head out of the fog, blinking owlishly as she slowly processed what had just happened. "I—I… I can't see! My glasses! Where're my glasses?!" The only problem was that she'd lost her pair of spectacles in the tumble, a blurry mass of greens and browns replacing her previously clear vision.

As such, Karin was unable to properly spy the lumbering predator of the forest approaching her. Slow, steady, grunting every now and then as it stalked towards the confused girl. She was too busy shaking, her hands frantically feeling around for her glasses but only serving to drive fine soil deep into her fingernails.

Scrambling about on the ground like a frightened mouse, Karin could only cover her ears and wince in pain as the bear let out a violent roar. Though, it sounded less like a threatening declaration of its superiority and more like a guttural cry of agony. Little did she know, several spinning shuriken had found their way into one of the bear's massive fur covered legs.

The bear halted its advance and thrashed around violently, cold steel sinking its way into its thick flesh. " _That_ is a big bear," Karin perked up, just barely managing to catch the distinctly feminine tone of a fellow human being.

She didn't know the voice, couldn't place it but at that precise moment, she didn't necessarily care about enemy ninja. "Angry too," another voice reached her senses, stronger in tone than the last one and notably male.

Karin was barely able to see two feet in front of her, blinking several times as if that would've cleared her impaired vision right up. "People get cranky when they're hungry, I'd imagine it's a thousand times worse for bears." The girl of the two noted, a pinch of humour betraying the severity of the situation.

Two blurred figures stood in front of Karin, their backs to her as they faced down the alpha predator in front of them. "It's going to have to hunt elsewhere," the lad stated, cycling through a series of hand signs as the fuzzy beast powered through the pain of their initial attack.

"Think that'll work?" The girl queried, apparently familiar with the hand signs he was making.

Her teammate shrugged, bringing his index and middle finger up to his mouth. "Fire works on everything, Yakumo. Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" The confident boy called out, blowing with all his might.

A massive swirling ball of flames manifested, igniting the cold air of the forest as it zoned in on the bear. Luckily, he wasn't dealing with a human being, a ninja who would've tried to evade his attack. Despite its overwhelming size, the bear was just that, a bear. It charged head on into the airborne flames, the Shinobi barely had to control its trajectory with his Chakra for it to land.

The effect was instantaneous, setting the bear's muzzle and face alight, prompting it to roar in pain. It shook its head, quite savagely too as the fire spread across its fur, eventually breaking through the thick layer of brown warmth to burn the flesh hiding beneath. The girl and boy silently watched as it crashed and thrashed about, slamming into the Earth and doing its best to rub every inch of itself into the grass and dirt.

Eventually, the fire was snuffed out by the panicked bear, burying its head into anything it could find. The two strangers stood at the ready as it slowly rose to its all fours, a little wobbly and worse for wear. A moment of silence overtook the forest as the big brown creature turned to look at the tiny little things that had been so much trouble, smoke billowing off of its seared and singed face.

The moment passed and surprisingly, the bear turned away from them and lumbered away for its own good. "Smart bear," the boy remarked, a minor touch of amusement buried somewhere within such a serious tone.

Karin was taken aback when the one of the strangers lowered themselves in front of her, unable to make out anything but a blurry mass of features. "Lose something?" Yakumo—the girl—kindly asked, raising something she was holding in her hand in front of Karin's perplexed face.

She blinked once, then again before ultimately realizing that the item in question was her lost pair of glasses. "Oh… thanks," a light shade of pink passed over her cheeks, embarrassment setting in as she must've looked such a sorry sight to these capable ninja.

The redhead carefully took the glasses back; gently placing them on the bridge of her nose and pushing them up to once again sharpen her vision. Karin was met with the sight of quite a pretty girl, with pale skin just like her. But her hair was much longer in length, reaching right down her back while her bangs were separated much like her own. Straight on the right but held in a braid on the left, a relatively light brown in colour.

And again, like Karin, her hair matched the colour of her eyes. Though, they were significantly lighter than the shade of her locks. The foreign Kunoichi gave a small but grateful nod to the girl, watching as Yakumo closed her eyes and smiled cheerfully.

"I wouldn't go thanking us just yet," the boy's sharp tone sliced right through the exchange, demanding the attention of both Yakumo and Karin.

The latter's naturally red eyes settled on the boy for the first time, the pink in her flushed cheeks deepening into a searing red. The boy's spiky black hair was incredibly striking, mirroring the stark ebony colour of his eyes. Said eyes were glaring right at Karin, staring into her very soul as he… judged her? He was certainly trying to figure her out, that much she was sure of.

With his arms folded—as if they were ever doing anything else—the boy addressed Karin quite bluntly, a frown deeply woven into those pale lips of his. "You're alone out here, why?" He grilled, immediately putting Karin on the spot.

The Grass-nin opened her mouth to speak, stuttering and stammering as butterflies fluttered about in her stomach. "I—I was just… that is, my team—they were… at least—" She stumbled over her words, each one more nervous than the last.

The lad wasn't helping, giving the third degree and wasting absolutely no time in the process. "Spit it out," he sharply told her, making it very clear who was the one in charge.

Until Yakumo aided Karin to her feet, turning to face her teammate with a furrowed brow. "Would you back off for one second?" It seemed she wasn't afraid to challenge that status quo, placing her hands on her waist as she stared at the kid.

The raven haired Shinobi didn't respond, not visually or verbally. "Don't mind him, he's an acquired taste. Now, you mentioned your team. Do you have any idea where they are?" Yakumo span back around, having successfully wrestled control of the situation from her stubborn ally.

Karin blinked, impressed by the girl's confidence but quickly snapped back to reality. "Honestly? No, no, I don't." She answered, aware enough to not tell the entire truth.

These ninja had rescued her, that much was true. But without her teammates, she was in a vulnerable position. Karin was in possession of her team's scroll and she wasn't about to let anyone take it from her, regardless of what her squad thought of her.

Yakumo nodded, an understanding smile passing over her lips. "So you're a little lost, huh?" She noted, trying her best to ignore the daggers being directed her way by her companion.

Karin held her face in her hands, a little frustrated that she'd had to be rescued by enemy examinees. "Do I really look _that_ helpless?" She murmured the question, not really expecting an answer in return.

The boy did his best to subvert her expectations, immediately jumping at the chance. "Yes," he responded, completely straight-faced as he stood there and stared at her with those charcoal black eyes.

Yakumo spun around on her heel, narrowing her light brown eyes at her ally. As if she was issuing a silent warning in an effort to stop him from being such a jerk, to stop him from antagonizing the defenceless girl that had almost been torn apart by a wild animal. It wasn't as though they were dealing with an entire team of opposing ninja; she really didn't know what his deal was.

Despite the dangerous look he was getting from Yakumo, the only male present continued. "Tell me, do you make a habit of engaging gigantic carnivorous beasts or is this just a one-time thing for you?" It sounded like he was ribbing her, mocking her over her misfortune but the lack of a smirk said an entirely different thing.

Karin wasn't sure how to respond, it was hard just looking him in the eye let alone talking to him. "I… I had my head up in the clouds; I just didn't see it, really." She opted to admire the thick fog, rolling over their sandal wearing feet.

She'd have rather looked at anything other than his face, his gaze somehow burning right through her. "Didn't see it? That thing was big enough to swallow you in one bite; you couldn't miss it if you wanted to." The boy berated her for being so careless, for being such a rookie.

Karin felt a frown line her lips, feeling a little insulted for the first time in a long time. "Do I look like I have perfect eyesight?" She didn't explode on him; she doubted she had the courage to raise her voice to the boy.

But she was a little fed up with the way she was being treated, drawing an amused smirk onto Yakumo's lips as the lad's jet black eyebrows rose slightly. "Not everything is a clever rouse for some elaborate trap, not everyone is out to get us." The girl in question lectured her teammate, drawing a disgruntled 'humph' out of him.

"Can never be too careful," he tried to defend his behaviour and he was right, they had to be on their toes in a place named the Forest of Death.

But such cautiousness wasn't always the way to go, creating more problems than solutions. " _Can_ always be too paranoid," Yakumo bit back, sometimes exchanging simple words was the answer.

Not mindlessly attacking everything in sight, everything that just happened to have been different. "What's your name?" The boy ignored his ally's remark, instead directing his attention to the stranger once more.

Karin squirmed slightly, her chest suddenly feeling warm as she balled her sweaty palms into tight fists. "It… it's Karin… hi…" She awkwardly squeaked, even after summoning enough moxie to lend an answer to the abrasive lad.

The brunette of the three nodded her head graciously, placing her hand to her chest. "Yakumo," she spoke her name, earning a friendly smile from Karin.

Meanwhile, the male Leaf-nin didn't bother with such formalities. "Karin… hand over the scroll you're carrying," he cut into the simmering situation, reigniting the tension that had been melted away by Yakumo.

Karin immediately took a step back, confusion littering her features as Yakumo stepped between her teammate and the girl. "We're not doing that," she firmly told him, eyebrows knotted as she raised her palm towards him.

The redhead she was guarding had to resist the urge to grip her pouch out of reflex, instead staring at the unflinching boy anxiously. "I—how do you even know I'm carrying one?" She tested him, only to instantly regret it when he side-stepped Yakumo and approached her.

The brunette of the three gripped the short sleeve of his navy blue shirt, forbidding him from venturing any further. "Because I can see right through you, Karin. I won't ask again, hand it over." He finalized, showcasing absolutely no hint of emotion on that pale complexion of his.

Which was rather unsettling, admittedly. "We're helping her and then robbing her, is that what we're doing here?" Yakumo tried to make sense of the situation, she knew they hadn't found another scroll just yet but they weren't desperate for it.

They had another two days to search, they would've managed somehow. "This is a competition, Yakumo, not a moral dilemma. Karin, make a choice." The dark haired Genin lectured his friend before turning back to the object of his attention, and not the kind of attention Karin had been hoping for.

She opened her mouth to reply, eyes wide and heart racing. "No," until she narrowed those deep red eyes and summoned a hefty dose of courage, swallowing as she balled her fists.

The boy tilted his head, like a curious animal trying to figure something out. "No?" He parroted her, observing the way she was trembling.

Anxiety was gripping her, forcing her body to shake as she assumed a defensive position. "You saved my life and I—I'm thankful for that… really, I am. But I'm not just handing over my scroll; you'll have to take it from me." Karin stated, her fists opening up into palms as she readied herself for what most likely would've been the fight of her life.

Of course, that was hoping for the best possible situation… a fight. At worst, there wouldn't have even been a fight. The boy could have just knocked her out with ease most likely, taking her team's scroll from her still body. It was something he was still debating, regardless of Yakumo's protests. They needed another scroll just to set foot inside the tower at the centre of the forest, time was running out.

But there was something stopping him as he stood there, observing a stance he'd never seen before in his short lifespan. The way she moved her arms, her hands flowing loosely, it must have been some kind of Grass fighting style that he wasn't privy to. It wasn't unheard of for different villages to have different methods of Taijutsu; her stance alone was much breezier than his rigid movements.

At the end of the day though, the boy simply didn't think the girl had it in her. "Strange time to develop a backbone, Karin." He spoke dismissively; swiftly turning away from the girl's shaking form in an effort to hide an amused smirk.

Both Yakumo and an insanely relieved Karin were left confused, blinking blankly as they stared at the back of his head. "What was _that_ about?" The latter finally piqued up, straightening out of her stance as her heartrate slowed to something that was less likely to give her a heart attack.

Yakumo herself was perplexed; she'd been half and half about whether her ally would've gone through with attacking the girl. "I'm not sure… at least; a part of me thinks he was testing you. Trying to see if you'd cave, just give up your team's scroll at the drop of a hat. You stood your ground; I think it's safe to say you passed." She wasn't sure whether she was trying to explain his off behaviour to herself or to Karin, perhaps his odd new abilities were somehow affecting him.

Karin's shoulders slumped, her glasses sliding halfway down her nose. "Are you sure? Because he seemed pretty dreamy—serious, I meant serious." She saved herself with a nervous grin, a light shade of pink emerging in her cheeks.

Yakumo had to resist the urge to roll her eyes, yet another girl that couldn't even think straight around her stoic teammate. "I've known him for a good while, still waiting for him to crack a smile." She half joked, half told the truth.

He just wasn't the type; she was willing to bet he didn't have a funny bone in his entire body. "Yakumo, we're leaving." The boy's sharp tone cut into her thoughts, reminding her that they still had a lot of work to do.

She nodded, leaving the Grass-nin's side with a small wave and a gentle smile. "Good luck, Karin. I hope you find your team and make it to the tower," the brunette wished her well; the Forest of Death was a pretty unforgiving place after all.

Karin barely registered her departure, snapping back to reality as she'd been staring at the boy in the distance the entire time. "You too, the tower thing, I mean… Yakumo, was it? And him? He never gave his name," she sputtered, shyly readjusting her glasses and pushing them up the bridge of her nose.

Yakumo didn't see the harm in it, they weren't enemies after all. "His name is Sasuke," she answered, finally allowing the girl to give a name to the boy.

The two Leaf-nin disappeared into the dense trees and once again, Karin was left alone with her thoughts. She'd just had quite a heart-racing run-in with a gigantic bear and only lived to tell the tale thanks to the aid of two friendly local ninja, Yakumo had been friendly anyway. Sasuke, less so. She honestly couldn't believe what had happened after that, had she really been willing to fight the lad?

Karin wasn't sure, just the sight of him made her go weak at the knees. "Sasuke," she repeated the name she'd heard, testing it on her lips and finding it appropriate for the mysterious Shinobi.

Despite the dangerous circumstances, she found herself smiling. Besides her teammates, besides her village, she had yet another reason to reach the tower at the centre of the nature ridden battle zone. They hadn't gotten off to a great start, admittedly but Karin felt something urge her to continue. To push on in the hopes that she'd see him again and maybe make a better impression than her first, maybe even impress him.

The sound of two male voices calling out for her roused the girl from her dreamlike stupor, causing her face to flash pink as she turned and began sprinting in the direction of said voices. Her teammates were back and hopefully, they would've had another scroll to go along with Karin's new founded resolve.

* * *

The third member of Team 9 had elected to hang back when the deafening roar of some great beast split the air, immediately putting Sasuke and Yakumo on alert. The palest of them—also the most quiet—forced a painful smile as he lied through his teeth, claiming that he was still recovering from what had happened to him at the hands of the mysterious ninja that had attacked them.

Sai felt like that was what he was always doing, closing his ebony coloured eyes and smiling in mock bliss. As soon as his teammates were out of sight and earshot, the boy's deathly pale face assumed a blank expression. A thin line stretched across his lips, his eyes half-lidded and his posture rigid as he stood there in the emptiness of the darkening forest.

He was waiting for something, something he'd had the foresight to lay out before he'd entered that coma-like state of fear he'd been in. Using a special custom scroll, Sai created works of art with a fluidity to each brushstroke that left people impressed, particularly because of his young age. And while such early artistic talent was already amazing, the true magic came after.

Using his Chakra, Sai was able to bring his paintings to life. He was literally able to make them leap right off of the page, using them for a plethora of useful things. Ranging from battle to transport, even to trivial things like an umbrella for a particularly rainy day, Sai had a world of creativity right at his fingertips.

The boy garbed in mostly black crouched low to the ground, holding out his hand as something small skittered out of the foliage around him. A tiny black and white mouse, specifically a field mouse, scurried right into his palm. Sai rose to his full height, bringing his hand up to study his creation intently.

He'd used the mouse for recon, keeping tabs on things while he'd been unconscious. Things he'd missed, vital and important things that honestly intrigued him as he read the words woven into the living artwork.

Sasuke had been affected in some way by something their attacker had done to him, he'd suspected something was wrong with the boy but neither he nor Yakumo would really speculate on what that something was. Sai's eyebrows raised a smidge, the mention of the last living spider catching his attention. Apparently, Pītā had talked his teammate out of a particularly nasty bout of anger. There was mention of Naruto in the report but the mouse hadn't been able to make heads or tails of what it had witnessed, leaving Sai a tad disappointed.

Sakura had been hurt caring for Sasuke, Naruto, Yakumo and him too. More and more names began to pop up in the small report, names the mouse knew as an extension of himself. Though there were mentions of unidentified ninja hailing from Otogakure, the Hidden Sound Village. Sai was impressed, such a small thing positively brimming with information.

Information his leader would've found useful, information he'd been ordered to gather and relay right back to said leader. Sai retrieved the scroll he'd been carrying on his back, letting the mouse meld with the page and become nothing more than a still image once again. Pulling the ink brush he used out of one of the scroll's compartments, Sai went to work rearranging the critter into something a little more suited for travel.

"You know what to do, Ninja Art: Super Beast Scroll." Sai droned the technique, nary a hint or trace of emotion laced into that lifeless tone of his.

Performing a simple hand sign, Sai brought life to yet another one of his works in the form of a hawk. The black and white bird of prey spread its majestic wings as it soared off of the page, the report its predecessor had compiled woven into its very body. The quite dower looking boy let his gaze linger skyward, watching the bird navigate its way through the canopy of the forest before it disappeared altogether.

Sai's stagnant expression quickly morphed into one of false joy as the sound of his friends' voices filled his ears, forcing him to reassume the wooden act he put on day after day. The boy left his isolation and ventured out towards the voices, a little content that he'd managed to update his leader on his continued mission.

* * *

Night had crept up on the many inhabitants scattered throughout the Forest of Death, a low hanging full moon illuminating the sky with the help of the many splatters of stars and constellations dotted around it. Unfortunately, due to the exceedingly dense canopy of the humid forest, not one stray beam of that glowing, almost ethereal light was able to pierce the treetops.

So visibility in the forest was quite literally a solid zero, an ocean of pitch blackness all around and doing nothing to encourage the many Genin that were camping there for another night's rest. Luckily, the unofficial leader of Team 7 had picked quite a spot to set up camp for the evening. Right at the bank of a rather wide river, flowing right through the flora around it and serving to separate the trees on either side of its banks.

Which meant that, as Pītā Pākā directed his gaze skyward; he was able to see the naked night sky in all its natural, wondrous glory. "Quite a sight, eh, blondie?" The spider-nin threw the question his friend's way, though didn't take his sharp eyes off of the spectacle aloft.

Naruto was too busy warming himself by the fire they'd set up together, the flames snapping and crackling as he rubbed his hands together and blew on them. "You know what'd be an even better sight?" He asked back, earning the lad's curious stare before the answer immediately dawned on him.

Pītā snorted, he honestly hadn't known what he'd been expected. "Bowl of ramen?" He suggested, drawing a nod from the child sat by the fire, his orange clad legs crossed underneath him.

"Bowl of ramen," Naruto parroted, eyes firmly closed as he offered a goofy grin over the campfire between them.

His fellow Shinobi shook his head, an amused smirk hiding behind that dark blue mask of his. "It's an unhealthy obsession, Naruto." He mocked, finding a sour look directed his way.

The messy haired blonde spat his tongue out at his teammate, earning a roll of the eyes in response. "Healthier than that fish I ate," he snidely remarked, prompting Pītā to throw his hands up.

"Excuse me for not being a master chef," the preteen hit back, he hadn't had an appetite for a good while now but he'd offered to cook for his friend in spite of this.

It was Naruto's turn to do the scoffing, pointing to a blackened half-eaten salmon lying on a flat slab of stone. "There was more charcoal than there was fish!" He raised his voice slightly, though had to get a hold on his volume when he caught sight of a slumbering Sakura, lying still by the fire and using Pītā's flak jacket as a makeshift pillow.

Pītā placed his index finger in front of his masked mouth, silently motioning for Naruto to keep it down. "It was well-done," he calmly retorted, his voice thick with a snarky quality.

Naruto folded his arms, averting his bluer than blue eyes away from his ally. "I'm cooking next time," he muttered underneath his breath, unaware that Pītā had heard each and every word as clear as day.

The brown haired lad didn't pursue the playful back and forth any further, because in all honesty, Naruto probably could've done a heck of a better job with the food than he did. Cooking wasn't his strong suit, go figure.

Silence overtook them, which neither one of the kids minded. It'd been a long day, a day of fighting, a day of confusion, a day that had drained them beyond all reason. Before they'd managed to journey to the safe ideal spot they found themselves in, the trio of Genin had been ambushed by an enemy team of ninja.

While Sakura soundly slept away on Pītā's back, both of the boys had recognized one of the Shinobi. A Rain ninja, with some kind of rebreather firmly lodged in his mouth. He'd been the kid that had tried to impersonate Naruto as soon as they'd entered the Forest of Death, his underhanded efforts trounced by a startlingly aware spider.

Only this time, he'd done the smart thing and brought his friends along with him. Pītā had been about to let Sakura down somewhere safe, ready to bring the hurt on all three of them. He would have, had Naruto not insisted that he'd deal with it. The acrobatic preteen hadn't protested, he figured Naruto felt as though he had something to prove.

So Pītā took a seat, right next to their sleeping teammate and diligently watched as Naruto faced off against the three boys from Amegakure. Despite the combination of several unusual techniques that neither boy had ever seen, Naruto's smart application of his Shadow Clone Jutsu had allowed him to go toe-to-toe with the enemy.

They were cowards; weak in Taijutsu so avoided close quarters combat and instead elected to hide using Earth Style Ninjutsu, using the ground to lie in wait before striking out at Naruto. Interestingly, the blonde lad had used his Shadow Clones to deceive them and lure them out of their hiding spot. Though, he'd used the technique so much and so often that his Chakra had been pretty much depleted.

Still, it had been enough to take the trio completely by surprise and eventually, Naruto won out.

"Nice going with that Rain-nin and his pals, didn't think you had it in you." Back in the here and now, Pītā complimented the boy for solving the abrupt problem that had reared its ugly head single handed.

Naruto snapped his head up, his wide eyed gaze shifting from the glowing embers of the fire to the half hidden face of his friend. "Are you kidding me? I barely even broke a sweat, believe it!" He assured, though the dirt covering his face and clothes didn't exactly reinforce that.

The spider raised his eyebrows; he could practically feel the exhausted vibe the child was giving off. "You're tired, aren't you?" He queried, though it was less of a question and more of an observation.

Naruto wasn't afraid to admit to it, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "And running low on Chakra, yeah." He abashedly spilled the beans, grinning and enticing a nod out of his companion.

Pītā rose to his full height, standing over the fire pit between them before making his way over to the softly murmuring girl that had been lying on his flak jacket near the fire. "Why don't you get some sleep, refill some of that boundless energy?" He suggested, crouching down by the unconscious preteen in order to check up on her.

He'd seen to her various wounds and injuries as soon as they'd set up camp, tearing off a piece of his dark blue sleeve and gently dabbing the cuts on her legs, arms and one on her cheek. He dried them up and cleaned them out as best as he could, opting not to use the river water as he hadn't wanted to risk infection.

While it was okay to drink as any and all microbes that swam around in it were killed by the acid in the stomach, using the water to clean a wound was a bad idea. Luckily, Pītā had kept a small tube of antiseptic salve handy. His Aunt Mei had given it to him around a week prior, as soon as she'd learnt of his induction into the Chūnin Exams.

The boy had never found a use for it as he healed too fast to even bother to apply it, but his female teammate did not. Pītā had gently applied the salve to each and every single one of Sakura's wounds, rubbing it into the skin in slow circular motions. As he lowered himself to the ground, Pītā saw that the salve had already been absorbed by her skin. It'd take some time but eventually, those cuts would've been a distant memory.

A brief flash of concern passed across Naruto's face as he spied Sakura sleeping, they hadn't heard a peep out of her for several hours. "I hope she's okay," he solemnly murmured, soft and quiet as he intended for it to go unheard.

But Pītā caught it, tilting his head slightly as he studied the pink haired girl as she dreamed. "You know her, tougher than she looks." He smirked beneath that mask of his, brushing a stray strand of hair away from her still slightly swollen eye.

His attention was pulled away from his charge and towards the resident prankster of the team, arching an eyebrow as the child was chuckling to himself. "Scarier than she looks too," Naruto jested, the dancing flames in front of him serving to illuminate that big goofy grin of his.

"You're lucky she didn't hear that," Pītā dryly remarked, leaving his spot by Sakura's prone side and making the short trip back to his seat around the fire.

The boy set himself down deftly, no sound made as he sat cross-legged in front of the campfire opposite Naruto. "Pītā?" Breaking the silence once more, the knuckleheaded blonde spoke his peer's name.

The Pākā boy didn't answer verbally, he didn't need to. He simply raised his eyebrows at the lad, perfectly visible across the open orange and yellow flames between them. He saw that Naruto was thinking about something, something that wasn't ramen or becoming Hokage for once. What that something was, Pītā wasn't sure.

But if the furrowed brow and conflicted look present in his eyes told him anything, it was that it was clearly bothering him. "You're smart, right?" Naruto managed to surprise his friend with the rather broad question, catching him off-guard somewhat.

Pītā collected himself; he wasn't really sure how to respond to such a query. "Whatever gave you that idea?" So he opted for a question himself, avoiding the risk of sounding arrogant by agreeing with the boy.

Naruto rolled those bright blue eyes of his, throwing his hands up in mild frustration. "Come on, there's no point denying it. You see things other people don't, I know you do." He threw the accusation the kid's way, he was no genius but he'd spent enough time with the spider to know that there was more to him than met the eye.

Pītā clicked his tongue beneath the piece of fabric covering his jaw; he wasn't sure where all of this was coming from. "I think you have awareness mixed up with intelligence," he continued to allude giving a concrete answer; clearly something was bugging his friend.

The resident prankster of the team huffed, folding his arms as he fixed Pītā with a stern glare. "What happened back there? With Sasuke, I mean. That wasn't normal, right?" Naruto finally got to the point as Pītā's eyebrows shot up, the source of the lad's musings becoming apparent.

The arachnid themed ninja shrugged in response, he honestly wasn't sure where to begin with that question. "You tell me," playing devil's advocate seemed like a smart move, Naruto had been present when Orochimaru had attacked Sasuke after all.

Naruto's expression soured momentarily before he began sifting through his memories, the immediate events that had taken place in the damned forest around them. "I don't remember much but… something must've happened to Sasuke after I got knocked out, because the next time I saw him, he was using that crazy Chakra. I've never seen him do that before and I'm willing to bet it has something to do with that snake guy, right?" He pondered, working through it step by step and rationalizing things to himself more than anyone else.

"You're not wrong," Pītā encouraged, though didn't bother elaborating.

Which only served to draw a perplexed look from the boy, the vague answer not being particularly helpful. "But there's more to it," he muttered, his thoughts running away from his once more.

Pītā was having a hard time understanding why it was bothering him so much, all Sasuke had ever done was bully him. "Is this going somewhere, Naruto?" He pressed, skewing his brow as his tone dripped with scepticism.

Naruto didn't seem so sure himself, his eyes finding the firm soil beneath him as his mind continued to wander. "I just… I didn't like what happened, to Sasuke I mean." He spat out, just the image of the Uchiha-heir surrounded by tainted foreign Chakra gave him chills.

Pītā slowly nodded, his friend was simply worried about Sasuke. "I don't think any of us did; man… him least of all." He assured, drawing a concurring nod out of the unusually downbeat child.

"I mean, I know he can be a big jerk sometimes but—" The boy began but was cut off as Pītā laughed, shaking his head in disbelief.

Naruto paused, curiosity painted across his whisker-laden features for a moment. "Anyone can be a jerk, Naruto. Doesn't make it a good thing when bad things happen to them, doesn't work like that. I think we can give Sasuke the benefit of the doubt for now, he's obviously going through a tough time." Pītā explained, half believing his own words and half not.

Not because he didn't have any faith in Sasuke, the boy had seemed confused by his actions. The kind of power he was wielding, it most likely did a number on anyone, let alone a twelve year old kid. So Pītā understood that he was struggling to deal with said power, hopefully trying to decide to use it for something good rather than something bad.

Jerk or no jerk, he was a Konoha rookie and deserved a little slack on that basis alone. Of course, that still didn't mean Pītā wasn't concerned. Neji too apparently, if the private discussion he'd had with the spider was anything to go by. The power Sasuke possessed was rather frightening and in the wrong hands, it could've been a very dangerous thing.

But for now, he was their friend and they'd do everything in their power to aid him in any way they could. "So… you think he'll be okay?" Naruto spoke up, hopeful that his former classmate wouldn't end up hurting himself or someone else.

Pītā found himself involuntarily nodding, he could sense danger, not predict the future. "I hope so, yeah." But he had to have some kind of faith that Sasuke would've worked through his issues, a burden that he hadn't asked for and that had been forced on him by a despicable stranger.

Naruto found himself wearing an optimistic smile, despite Sasuke's closed off and abrasive demeanour; he didn't want anything bad to happen to him. "I… I think I'm gonna turn in," the boy yawned, slowly removing his orange and blue jacket as he did so.

Pītā watched as the lad neatly folded the jacket up and placed it on the grass ground, using it as a makeshift pillow in order to rest his head. "Let me know if you need anything," the brown eyed Genin offered, noticing Naruto nod in return before slowly shutting his struggling to stay open eyes.

The kid was a heavy sleeper, it didn't take long for him to completely drift off into dreamland and start snoring. Not too loudly, but loud enough for Pītā to shake his head in mild amusement. The Jinchūriki's rhythmic snores failed to drown out the snapping and crackling of the flames in front of the arachnid themed Leaf-nin, staring into the hypnotic dancing of the fire just made Pītā's mind wander onto other pressing matters.

So much had happened during their time in the forest, the 44th Battle Training Zone, a place they would not remember fondly. So many enemies had been made, Orochimaru, the Sound trio, Kuentin, Mikio and Saidai etc. Just the thought of those schmucks made Pītā's limbs feel heavy, made his head sag in exhaustion and blackened the skin beneath his eyes.

Those tired orbs of his lazily shifted towards one of the other sleeping forms in the camp, the girl that had been unconscious for several hours now. It was funny, how content and peaceful Sakura appeared as she dreamed of… well, Pītā wasn't sure what she was dreaming of but whatever it was, she seemed to have been smiling about it.

At least, he thought she was smiling. Pītā blinked numerous times, rubbing his eyes in an effort to stay awake. A part of him was still on edge, even though the adrenaline that had flooded his system during the battles he'd fought was long gone, he was having trouble simply letting go and shutting his eyes.

The boy ran a hand through his messy unkempt hair, grumbling underneath his breath for a moment as he realized he had no idea what time it was. It was pitch black around; the moon was still firmly in place in the sky, hanging overhead like a natural beacon in the darkness. His aunt had pestered him numerous times to get a watch but if he had to have made a guess, he'd have said it was somewhere around the three to four A.M mark.

So far deep into the night that it was early, early morning. "Maybe… maybe I can just rest my eyes for a couple of minutes, it's not like anyone can sneak up on _me_ , right?" Pītā spoke aloud, a slight wilt to his voice towards the end of the sentence.

Still sat upright, stiff as a board, Pītā's eyelids slowly fluttered shut. The bright flickering image of the warm fire before him disappearing altogether, replaced by a shallow veil of blackness. The boy breathed in deep, feeling a little looser already as his solid muscles began to relax and his head started to slump forward.

"Pītā?" A voice shook the lad from his temporary state of peace, causing his eyes to immediately snap open and head to whiplash in the direction of said voice.

Propping herself up by her hands on his flak jacket, an awakened Sakura stared at her friend as he blinked owlishly. "Oh, you're awake." He pointed out the obvious, quickly rubbing his hand all over his face in effort to convince himself to stay sharp and aware.

While not lost in a haze of lucid dreams anymore, Sakura was still anything but wide awake. "Getting there," she yawned her words, covering her mouth sheepishly as she was still half-asleep.

The spider watched as she took in her new surroundings for the first time, only just noticing the dark abyss encroaching upon their small circle of orange light. "Let me know when you do, I'll join you." He cracked, leaning forward to place both of his hands on his knees.

Sakura's tired smile was replaced as something occurred to her, concern passing over her delicate features. "Naruto, is he—?" She failed to finish the question as Pītā lazily cocked a thumb towards the opposite side of the fire, diverting the lass' attention to a boy sleeping like a log.

Relief passed over her complexion, melting that worry away and replacing it with a fond smile. "How 'bout you? How you feeling?" Pītā demanded her attention when he asked, reminding the youth of the injuries she'd endured.

Sakura's large emerald eyes strayed away from Pītā's sharp brown ones, scanning the many cuts and scrapes dotted around her fair skin. "A little… sore," she admitted, a modest smile forming on her lips.

Pītā held up a hand to object when she tried to move, watching her like a hawk as she gingerly shifted in her spot. "You ran the gauntlet yesterday, just take it easy." He quipped, encouraging a small laugh out of his teammate.

Always trying to make her feel better with a pinch of humour, something she always appreciated. "You're telling me, I think—ah!" The girl winced, freezing in place as a paralyzing jolt of pain shot up and down one of her legs.

She'd tried to move out of the prone position she'd been sleeping in and into a sitting one in order to talk to her friend, but had ended up putting too much pressure on one of her thighs. "What'd I say about taking it easy?" Pītā's voice sounded much closer than it had before, admittedly mocking her but still beckoning her to raise her head and look at him.

The pink haired Kunoichi was surprised to find him crouched directly in front of her, he'd crossed the distance between them in the blink of an eye. "Where does it hurt?" He followed up when she didn't say anything, instead gritting her teeth in pain as she pointed to a spot on her outer thigh.

Pītā moved one of his gloved hands before halting himself, glancing up at her quite awkwardly as he attempted to hold eye contact with her. "You mind?" He asked her permission, it _was_ the courteous thing to do after all.

Sakura didn't even hesitate when she shook her head, her new short-length locks of hair swaying with the motion as she allowed his request. She knew Pītā well, she trusted him and she knew that he was simply doing it to make sure that she was physically okay. Still, that didn't stop her cheeks from heating up, a fierce blush warming her face as abrasive fingertips glided across the skin of her outer thigh.

The girl heard the boy click his tongue, surprise apparent in those kind eyes of his. "Ah, makes sense. It's not a cut, but a bruise. A pretty nasty one at that, it's only just started to really show on the skin. Must've landed hard when those Sound punks were smacking you around," he concluded, observing the purplish blotch staining the pigmentation of her pale skin.

He earned a concurring nod in return for his aid, Sakura wincing slightly as he pressed against the bruise in order to test it. "Ow… diagnosis?" She cheekily replied, forcing a smile in an effort to deal with the pain and carving a smirk she couldn't see onto Pītā's hidden lips.

He gently elevated her leg in response, bundling up his discarded flak jacket and neatly placing it beneath her thigh. "You'll live, just make sure you keep the weight off of it. Here, use my jacket… somebody should." The boy muttered, a little bitterness in his tone as he frowned at the shredded scraps his jacket had been reduced to.

All thanks to Kuentin and his paper bomb, something Pītā was determined to get him back for. Sakura chose to stay silent on the matter, sensing his frustration with ease as he cautiously set her leg down. He loved his flak jacket, held it close because his aunt had lovingly made it for him and him alone. But it was no secret that Pītā was proud of his heritage, proud of his ancestors and the wonders they accomplished all those centuries ago.

He wore the large black spider-emblem stitched into the red fabric with pride, the source of his abilities on blatant display as it perched on his chest, split in half by the zipper. Or used to anyway, the previously vibrant crimson material now a blackened and charred mess. As such, it was slightly uncomfortable to sit on but… Sakura didn't want to say anything, he'd offered it to her out of generosity and she didn't want to seem ungrateful.

She saw how tired he was, dark patches of skin sitting beneath his eyes as he continued to inspect her leg. Just looking at him made her feel it, feel the ache in her small muscles that hadn't left her since her brawl with Dosu and his goons. The girl honestly had no clue as to how she survived for as long as she did, a part of her putting it down to dumb luck and another part of her putting it down to…

Well, she didn't know what. Sakura was just a regular ninja, run of the mill, as vanilla as they came. She didn't have Ino's Mind Transfer Jutsu, she wasn't able to convert calories into Chakra like Chōji, and she couldn't see Chakra signatures like Hinata and her cousin, Neji. And last she checked, she definitely didn't have the superhuman abilities of the young spider crouched in front of her.

"You daydreaming over there?" Pītā's thick tone cut through her wandering thought process like a hot knife through butter, bringing Sakura out of her little silent spell and back into the real world.

He hadn't bothered looking up at her to address her, he was too busy inspecting her other leg to check if another bruise had emerged. "I was just… thinking about yesterday, about the Sound ninja that attacked me." Sakura answered, which seemed to grab the boy's attention instantaneously.

He wasn't sure why she was still giving it the time of day, he was honestly hoping they could've left it in the past and simply moved on. "Buncha jackasses didn't know who they were messing with," though he decided to encourage her as a frown lined her lips, she was clearly upset for some reason.

"I didn't win," the red dressed child meekly murmured, bowing her head as she furrowed her pink eyebrows together.

It was Pītā's turn to be surprised, leaning back slightly as she averted eye contact. "Hey, three against one ain't exactly fair odds, cherry blossom." He reminded her, lightly patting her leg in an effort to gain her attention.

Unfortunately, the small gesture failed to get any sort of reaction. "I couldn't even beat one of them," Sakura continued down her shame-filled path of thought, feeling more than a little useless on a team with a superhuman ninja.

Pītā shook his head, gazing off into the blackness that had swallowed the surrounding forest for the evening. "Thought we were past the whole 'self-pity' thing… what, you relapsed all of a sudden?" He openly mocked her, namely because he knew it was the only other way to provoke a response out of her.

Sakura's head snapped up, anger swelling within her as she opened her mouth to talk his ear off. That is, until she saw Pītā's waiting face, an expectant expression painted onto the boyish features she was able to see. She shut her mouth, folded her arms and let the surge of negative emotion fade. He was trying to get a reaction out of her, trying to poke and prod her but she wasn't about to fall for any of his mind games.

Pītā hummed to himself, she wasn't biting. "You know, you shouldn't be ashamed of yourself. You should be proud of yourself, Sakura. Not many people would've done what you did, I can tell you that." Anger wasn't a bad outlet to use to vent frustrations, to cool down some inner turmoil but it wasn't always the answer.

Sometimes, a little more tact was required. "Stop feeling sorry for yourself, okay? I don't have time for it, Naruto doesn't have time for it and you sure as hell don't either. Own what you did, own it. You stood up to three very dangerous ninja, three very mentally unstable ninja which I'd strongly advise against for future reference." He was rambling to the open air now, hoping that he'd eventually say the right thing and recapture some of her interest in the conversation.

Little by little, it seemed to be working as she gazed at him flapping his lips out of the corner of her eyes. "You could've cut your losses—sure you could've—could've ditched Naruto, ditched your friends… but you didn't, did you? Nah, you chose to stay. Despite the danger, despite the consequences, you planted yourself like a tree and refused to move." Pītā's words were pulling her back in, the shame that she'd been exuding slowly melting away.

Sakura was now fully facing the lad, her emerald green eyes holding an orange hue as they reflected the erratic flames of the campfire. "I don't know about you but that's a little something I like to call courage, bravery, selflessness, all that jazz. You feel me?" He finally deferred to her, shadows cast over his face as he had his back to the fire.

The girl suffering a crisis of self-belief nodded, there wasn't much else she could do. "I… yeah, I feel you… I think." She simply felt compelled to nod; Pītā's straight to the point attitude serving to lift her spirits.

Pītā grinned beneath that mask of his, reaching up to ruffle his companion's short pink hair. Despite her annoyance, quickly swatting his gloved hand away, Sakura couldn't help but smile and shake her head. He was just… such a strange boy, powerful and scary yet kind and caring at the same time. He had this innate ability to speak to her, to know just what to say to her… when he wasn't grating on her nerves cracking wise and telling knock-knock jokes.

"You mind?" The arachnid-heir gestured to the space on the grass ground beside her, already on the move before she could even answer.

Sakura watched him plant himself down next to her, rubbing his gloved hands together before facing both palms towards the open flame. "Sorry," she abruptly apologized, running a haggard hand through her short pink locks.

Her companion arched an eyebrow, side-eyeing her as he warmed his hands by the fire. "About what?" Pītā queried, a bit of a laugh escaping his mouth.

The Haruno girl blushed a light shade of red, she was embarrassing herself. "About… whatever _that_ was, sometimes I just feel… I feel like…" at least, she thought she was embarrassing herself as she trailed off.

She couldn't think of the right word, not one that didn't make her sound utterly pathetic anyway. "I get it, I do but there's much more to being a ninja than doing whatever a spider can. You're a part of this team, Sakura… no matter how you spin it." He brushed her worries to the side, bluntly alleviating her insecurities.

Sakura managed to tear her eyes off of him, staring ahead and into the fire just as he was. "Thanks," she mumbled, putting his shortness down to his fatigue.

It wasn't up for discussion with him, not that she complained. "Are _you_ okay?" She broke the sombre silence between them, shifting the topic of conversation onto him for a change.

Which was something he hated, as evidenced by the complete lack of interest on his part. Sakura had to stop rubbing her hands together for warmth, a growing look of concern etched into her features as she leaned forward to properly read him. His eyes were oddly vacant, staring off into the fire and reflecting something wild and untameable.

She didn't know where he was but he wasn't there, sitting beside her. "Hey, what's wrong?" Sakura tried again, going so far as to nudge the boy's arm with her own.

Pītā blinked, turning his head to find an encouraging smile laced into her lips. "I'm tired, Sakura… that's all." He admitted, his eyes half-lidded as he stared at her.

Sakura gave an understanding nod; she'd been tired and still was really. She was going to let him off the hook, let him fall backwards so he could nod off to whatever place people went to when they fell asleep. But something kept her from doing that, something that had been playing on her mind ever since they'd been split up. Call it selfishness, call it curiosity but… it was something that had been hounding Sakura and she really wanted to know more.

"Pītā? Can… can I ask you something?" She tested, unsure if she'd get a snarky response or a cranky one.

Instead, Pītā repositioned himself so he was completely facing the lass. "Spider-sense?" He posed, catching Sakura off-guard.

The girl's mouth hung open, words desperately wanting to come out but just not forming in time. A dumb nod had to suffice as she mimicked her friend's movements, though much more gingerly as she had to mind the bruise on her leg. Facing each other, one side of their features completely illuminated by orange and red hues and the other lost in cold shadows, Pītā tilted his head to one side.

As though he was trying to decide if he really wanted to delve further into the whole 'spider-sense' thing with her, with someone who wasn't a member of his clan—not that any of those guys were around anymore—with a regular human being that couldn't have possibly understood what it meant. It was a big secret and once upon a time, Pītā would've gone to drastic lengths to preserve it.

In truth, he still would. But he wasn't about to share something with an enemy, with someone that would use said information to bring harm to him and others. No, he was talking to an ally. A confidant, a dear friend he'd known since early childhood. Sat in front of him, chomping at the bit to hear what he had to say after going through so much herself. So much he hadn't witnessed, simply because he'd left her alone when she'd needed him most.

Pītā's gaze left hers, deep chocolate leaving shimmering emerald as he debated with himself. "You… you don't have to say anything if you don't want to, I want you to know that." Sakura took a chance, reaching out to take a hold of his gloved hand.

He certainly appreciated the gesture but it was too late, he'd already made up his mind. "What do you wanna know?" And once he made up his mind, there was virtually nothing that could change it.

Sakura felt her breath hitch in her throat, there was so much she wanted to ask. "What is it?" Though, she decided to start with the most basic question for the time being.

A basic question but unbeknownst to her, a tough one. "It's a danger-sense… at least, that's what my ancestors managed to figure out. I don't know how reliable that is, read it in some of the old scrolls my dad and uncle left me." Tough because even he wasn't fully sure just what the spider-sense was, he didn't know where it came from and why it was even a thing.

Scientifically, spiders didn't possess some kind of latent sixth-sense ability. Then again, he generated silk from spinnerets in his wrist and not from his… you know.

Sakura peaked up, another query ready on her lips. "Danger-sense? You mean—" She began but was interrupted by her teammate, which wasn't a rare occurrence given how chatty he was.

The brown haired lad was already nodding his head, wearing an amused smirk hiding from plain sight. "I can sense danger," he answered, confirming something Sakura had long since speculated.

Maybe not exactly danger in its broadest sense, but she had been the one to wise up to when Pītā simply 'knew' something. "You can sense danger," it still didn't stop the revelation from being all the more unbelievable, causing her to parrot back his words in an effort to make them sound less fantastical.

Pītā chuckled, shaking his head as she stared at him. "Really is no easy way to say that, is there?" He joked, coaxing a smile from Sakura as a means to keep things flowing.

She leaned forward, fully invested in the conversation and exuding eagerness she didn't have before. "What exactly do you mean by danger?" The Kunoichi continued to press, intrigue lighting up those eyes of hers.

Pītā shook his head; he didn't think she'd be so interested in an invisible phenomenon living inside his skull. "Danger, things that will probably hurt me or worse, kill me. You know, pointy things, fire, and old age. Kidding about that last one, can you imagine? A constant ringing into my seventies?" He quipped, laughing at his own joke as Sakura rolled her eyes.

In retrospect, it made perfect sense. How Pītā was nigh-unhittable, how he always knew what to look out for. He hid it well; she'd just spent so much time around him that things had started to add up. The kicker had obviously been when he'd let the spider-sense slip, on his knees and holding his head in agony before they were split up.

Likely out of sheer desperation, he just couldn't stop himself. "Is that why you're so… so…" The child started but soon trailed off, she'd been so keen to pepper him with questions that she hadn't even formulated all the right words before doing so.

"Handsome? Funny? Charming? Nope, all me." Pītā leapt at the chance to make a funny, the lift of his cheeks beneath that mask being the only visual indication that he was grinning like an idiot.

Sakura closed her eyes and sighed, fighting off the fond smile trying to crack its way onto her lips. "Don't flatter yourself, bug boy. I was going to say… is that why you're so good at fighting?" She posed the proper question, deflating the spider's fun but also forcing him to ponder things.

He arched an eyebrow, sitting back a little as he considered the possibility. "I guess it's part of it, sure. But it doesn't do all the work for me, if that's what you're thinking. It lets me know when there's danger nearby, it's totally up to me in how I respond to said danger." He clarified, confident that his abilities as a fighter weren't due to the spider-sense and nothing else.

At least, he thought so. "So… you aren't in control of it and it's not in control of you." Sakura rationalized, attempting to understand whatever was going on inside that head of his.

Pītā bobbed his head, there was probably more to it than that but she summed it up fairly well. "I like to think of it as a partnership more than anything else," he reasoned, having worked with it on some level during his time in the Forest of Death.

Sakura nodded along, taking in all of this new information but admittedly, wanting more. "Just danger? Nothing else?" She grilled, as simply the act of sensing danger didn't add up with some of the things he'd done in the past.

Like when he'd noticed the snow rabbit on their journey to the Land of Waves before anyone else, there was no way such a small and fluffy creature could've posed any kind of threat to him. "What, is an extrasensory alarm clock not enough for you? Do I need to see into the future to impress you?" Pītā shook his head, a little surprised by the girl's digging.

Sakura leaned back slightly, her pink eyebrows rising as she considered something. "Can you?" She tested, the possibility of her friend being some kind of clairvoyant passing her mind for the briefest of moments.

Before Pītā shut that theory down with the blankest look imaginable, his tone completely deadpan in its delivery. "Are you being serious right now?" He shot back, causing Sakura's cheeks to heat up as she realized how silly she'd sounded.

Pītā laughed as the girl collected herself, suddenly finding the fire to the left of her tantalizing. "Sorry," she meekly muttered, the rosiness in her face so easy to see due to her pale complexion.

The spider let the harmless awkwardness in the air linger for a little longer before reaching forward and around Sakura's back, the topic of his spider-sense reminding the lad of a certain something that'd honestly slipped his mind. "Well, I'm no soothsayer but my spider-sense does have another application other than predicting danger. I can also use it to tracks things, namely this." Pītā retrieved the small device from the top of the girl's back, causing her to reach over shoulder and feel around.

He held the tool between his index finger and thumb as Sakura focused on it, it was small enough to slot right between his fingertips. "How long has that been there?" She questioned, any and all embarrassment leaving her and being replaced by curiosity and intrigue.

"Slapped you with it the second we got separated," he revealed, stunning the girl momentarily.

The entire time she'd been on her own, the entire time she wasn't sure if Pītā would've found her or not, he'd been on her trail. "That's how you found me, using your…" The girl trailed off, she didn't have a name to put to the small piece red object.

Pītā flicked the tool into the air before catching it in his palm, a fondness in his eyes as he studied the miniscule device. "Spider-tracer, MK I to be precise. It's just a prototype but… well, seems its test run has been a success." He spoke proudly, about to pocket the device had Sakura not touched his arm.

He stopped, staring at her outstretched hand. "May I?" She asked, a sweet smile on display.

Of course, Pītā couldn't have denied her. "You _did_ keep it safe," the boy reasoned, handing his hard work off to her.

She took it carefully, holding her palm flat as she eyed the device. "How—how does it work?" Sakura was smart, very smart for a child her age and she was eager to know the inner workings of such a tiny yet complex thing.

Pītā sat back, folding his arms as he watched the girl run a finger over the spider-designed tracer. "Using radio waves, specifically tailored to the ultrasonic frequency my spider-sense seems to operate on." He explained, admittedly a little excited at the prospect of finally sharing his invention with someone else.

Due to the secretive nature of his spider-sense, the spider-tracer had also been kept under wraps by Pītā. "You… you made this? All by yourself?" Sakura posed, admiration shining in those vibrant green eyes of hers.

She knew Pītā was smart; he was the only kid that competed with Shikamaru on an intellectual level after all. But until then, she didn't have a clue just how smart he was. Inventing some kind of tracking device—no bigger than a button—was an impressive accomplishment, just where had he found the time and imagination to have even done such a thing?

"I'm not just a pretty face, gumdrop. It works based on proximity, the closer it is to me, the stronger the reaction from my spider-sense and vice versa. Not bad, right?" He boasted, holding his fingerless gloved hand out towards her.

Sakura nodded in agreement, it was just so sophisticated in its design that she had to take his word for it. "Not bad at all," she watched him pocket the small device with a grin, just barely able to make out the slight crease in his mask that indicated a smile.

But again, Sakura's adolescent mind wandered. "So… your spider-sense… is it the reason why you sometimes just know things?" She plucked up the courage to delve deeper, there was something else he wasn't telling her.

Pītā snorted, for reasons unknown to the pink haired child. "Man, just hearing someone else say it is already starting to weird me out. 'Spider-sense', I don't know if I'm ever gonna get used to that." He stated in an absent minded manner, completely side-lining her question for a moment.

"Pītā," until Sakura reminded him, raising her eyebrows as she voiced his name.

He clicked his tongue, narrowing those brown eyes of his as he thought about her query. "Part of it, I guess. I don't know, my hearing's pretty good too." He casually added, he didn't want to sound arrogant after all.

Sakura was caught hook, line and sinker once more. "How good is pretty good?" She followed up, brow furrowed in wonderment as the two youths sat there by the roaring fire.

The wall-crawler wasn't sure how to answer such a question, without scaring her off anyway. "I don't wanna freak you out," he confessed his fear, urging a look of sympathy out of his fellow Leaf Genin.

She wore a kind smile to encourage him to share, playing the role he usually played. "We've gone this far, might as well go a little further, right? You won't freak me out, Pītā." The preteen reassured him, nothing but silence and the distant chirping of crickets accompanying them as he wordlessly toyed with himself.

Sakura leaned forward as they sat cross-legged, being mindful of the dull ache of her bruised leg as she did so. "What sort of things can you hear, Pītā?" She whispered, large emerald locking with focused brown for a fleeting moment.

"Your heartbeat for one," Pītā didn't pull any punches, listening to the previously calm rhythmic beating of one of his friend's vital organs.

Sakura gave an owlish blink, her mouth slightly ajar as her mind virtually ground to a complete halt. "And I can hear it quickening in pace, speeding up the more I talk about it. You okay over there?" Pītā made sure to check, the sound of her heart thundering against her chest cavity hammering against his highly sensitive eardrums.

Which, in all honesty, was doing a fantastic job at keeping him awake. "Yeah, I just… it's just a lot to take in." Sakura took a deep breath, her hand resting on her chest as she tried to steady her heartrate.

She was smiling through the anxiousness, eliciting a shake of the head from the boy in red and blue. "Freaked you out, didn't I?" He threw her way, eyebrows raised expectantly as if inviting her to tell the brutal truth.

"Little bit, yeah." Sakura let it go with an embarrassed grin, he'd warned her after all.

As evidenced by the laughter, Pītā didn't mind one bit. "Kiba can smell, I can hear. My eyesight's not so bad either now that I think about it," he leaned back, using his hands to keep him propped up.

Now he was just messing with her, successfully too as the child's face paled. "Please don't tell me you have… x-ray vision or something," she made it all the better when she self-consciously covered her torso, her cheeks heating up as Pītā shook his head and did his best to control his laughter induced convulsions.

Sakura frowned, reflexively murmuring the word 'jerk' beneath her breath and already forgetting about the lad's enhanced hearing. "All right, I've had my fun. Now that all the gossip's out of the way, I wanna ask _you_ something." Pītā once again leaned forward, the sudden change in his eyes dictating a serious change in the conversation as well.

She let the heat die down in her cheeks for the umpteenth time that night, adopting a solemn expression to match Pītā's own. "Like what?" The Leaf-nin replied, instantly enthralled as the boy was never one to be so serious.

That was usually a good rule of thumb to go by, things went south whenever Pītā stopped cracking jokes. "Like what happened to you after we got separated," he clarified, earning a slow nod from the girl.

"You mean when that man attacked us, attacked _Sasuke_." She knew exactly what he was referring to; it was the only thing worth addressing.

Pītā didn't take his gaze off of her, unnerving the youth slightly as he hadn't blinked in quite some time. "Orochimaru," he unflinchingly spoke the name, the mere sound of it sending chills up Sakura's spine.

She overcame her unease, swallowing the lump in her throat as he spoke so openly about such an evil man. "How do you know his name, Pītā?" She was more concerned with how the boy was privy to such information, information he couldn't have possibly known unless Naruto had told him while she'd been dreaming away.

Pītā hadn't really been thinking when he'd said the name, just the word putting a sour taste in his mouth. He faltered, he'd let himself slip up and judging by the way Sakura gasped, her hands shooting up to cover her mouth, she knew exactly what he meant without him explicitly admitting to it.

Her green eyes roamed all over him, taking in the torn clothing before moving towards the mangled flak jacket that was providing some sort of comfort for her injured thigh. "He—he's the one that did this to you! Your jacket, the reason you were gone so long, it all adds up!" She almost shot out of her seat on the firm forest floor, a metaphorical lightbulb pinging on over her head as she pieced things together.

She would've, had Pītā not shot forward and clamped a hand around her mouth. "You're right, Sakura. You're totally and completely one hundred percent right… but you're also loud, astonishingly loud for someone so small. I'm gonna remove the hand, but only if you agree to keep it down, okay? Can you do that?" There was no mistaking the firmness to his tone; he was being completely serious in his order.

The lass immediately took note of it, hesitantly nodding as she stared at him wide eyed. "Good, 'cos I don't want a bear ploughing through the campsite. I happen to like bears so it'd really suck for me to have to knock one on its butt, but then… I _would_ be able to say that I coldcocked a bear right in its jaw. Man, that's a toughie." He removed his hand as he rambled nonsensically, reassuming his seat opposite her.

Meanwhile, Sakura was still trying to process the fact that Pītā had had some kind of run in with… with… she really didn't want to even have to think the man's name. "Did you fight him?" She was stiff as a board, her rapt attention firmly on the web-slinger in front of her.

Pītā shrugged, squeezing one eye shut as he rubbed a pinkie finger in his ear. "We traded hands, sure." The twelve year old answered, quite casually too.

Which Sakura was having trouble getting over, how quickly he could bounce from nought to one hundred on the 'serious' meter. "Did you win?" Such a simple question, the kind of question a child would ask to someone that had just been in a fight.

Pītā found himself rubbing the back of his neck, unsure how to put an answer to that oh so simple question. "Not everything's so cut and dry, Sakura. It's a little more complicated than that, _believe_ me." He insisted, having experienced just how hard a fight it was first hand.

"I saw what he was capable of, what he did to Naruto, to Sasuke. He could've killed you, Pītā. He could've—" For whatever reason, she was welling up.

Standing at the brink, about to shed a few tears over a battle that had already been fought. "Hey, I'm right here, aren't I? Talking to you, still alive as far as I know. Besides, no way in hell I'm dying in a place like this." He reassured her, though in all honesty, wasn't thinking about Orochimaru when the thought of him perishing hit him.

No, Pītā was hit with the unforgettable memory of Mikio Goto. Like a sledgehammer to his brain, such were the sudden overwhelmingly painful images flashing through his head. The boy grimaced, recalling just how helpless he'd felt when tackling that… that… words could not describe the enemy he'd faced. No word he was able to come up with, that was for sure.

Unstoppable, unnerving, unyielding… words beginning with 'u's' apparently. Pītā blinked, attempting to shake the memory of Mikio using his stone-like fists to convince him to lie down. It wasn't easy, but nothing ever was. He moved past it, even as the feeling of blood splattering all over his face washed over him.

Fresh, as if it was happening for the first time as he repeatedly drove his kunai knife into Mikio's stomach. The first time he'd ever had to fall back and use a weapon, the first time his strength, his speed just hadn't been enough. Pītā pushed it all down, the fear, the sudden anxiety at the possibility of facing him once again in mortal combat and he swallowed.

Sakura nodded, picking up on Pītā's sudden steely eyed gazed but refraining from pointing it out. "Forget about that for a second, okay? Just… forget about it, really. Naruto and Sasuke were with you when it happened, right? I wanna know exactly what happened, Sakura. Tell me, tell me what happened out there." He spoke with such an intensity that the girl felt compelled to do nothing but what he'd asked of her, prompting her to gather her thoughts and think back to events she'd rather have thrown from her mind.

"Okay, I—I can do that." She murmured, unmistakeable doubt lacing her words.

Pītā saw it clear as day, the uncertainty and lack of self-confidence swimming in her eyes. "Just start from the beginning," he encouraged her, placing a soft hand on her shoulder for added effect.

Sakura relaxed underneath the kind-hearted gesture, slowly running through what had happened with the serpent-like ninja. "After I lost you, after Naruto and I lost you, we saw… _him_ pass by looking for someone." She didn't want to think his name, let alone speak it.

It just made her involuntarily shudder and it likely always would've, because tremendous evil would've always been attached to it. "That someone being Sasuke," Pītā didn't want to assume, he wanted to make sure he had every piece of information available.

Sakura confirmed his thoughts, just as he'd learnt Orochimaru had been after the Uchiha boy from the man himself. "Right, so we followed him to see why he was trying to find Sasuke." She nodded along, feeling a little more at ease talking with Pītā about such a thing.

Even out in the open, beneath a blanket of shadows. "Whose idea was that?" Pītā pressed, though immediately felt like an idiot upon doing so.

"Naruto's," Sakura gave him a reason to shake his head, of course the incredibly dangerous decision had belonged to the prankster.

Pītā spared a brief glance the bright spark's way; he was still soundly asleep and far away from their mundane trials and tribulations. "Not sure why I asked," the whisker adorned boy practically had a death wish, not that he was one to talk.

He gave Sakura his attention once more, motioning with his hand for her to push on. "By the time we got there, Sai and Yakumo had already been incapacitated." The petit child explained, giving reason as to why both members of Sasuke's team were down for the count when he reunited with Sakura.

Pītā knew why though, he knew full well why. While he couldn't put a name to such an ability—if it was an ability at all and not just a particularly powerful blood lusted look in those reptilian eyes of his—he knew exactly what Sakura was referring to, she didn't have to spell it out for him. He wasn't surprised Sai and Yakumo had succumbed to it; he'd almost folded like a house of cards underneath the Shinin's soul piercing gaze.

Regardless, he kept silent on the matter. The boy instead chose to let her continue, he really didn't need her worrying herself to death over yet another thing that couldn't have been helped.

The spider nodded, his undivided attention focused solely on the girl telling her story. "Naruto being Naruto, he jumped headfirst into things… only…" The faintest flicker of a smile was replaced by a frown as Sakura trailed off, something clearly upsetting her as she thought back to a couple of days prior.

Pītā gave a low whistle, quiet and a far cry from the shrill sounding noises he could usually produce. "Only what?" All to get her attention, to get her to focus on the now.

She seemed hesitant as her gaze landed on him once more, doing her best to keep it steady as she spoke. "Do you… do you remember what happened on the bridge? Back in the Land of Waves?" Pītā's eyebrows slowly rose; he understood why she hadn't been so eager to bring it up.

The boy hated thinking back to that day, the day he'd lost to some punk in a dress. Trapped in a prison of ice, completely boxed in on all sides by ice so cold that it burned the skin. Just the feeling of it tearing away the flesh of his arm sent shivers up his spine, that androgynous boy with his senbon coming to mind and causing Pītā to set his jaw.

Haku, the Demon of the Hidden Mist's little helper. Pītā hadn't even been aware of his surroundings when they'd parted ways, completely delirious as he was gripped with a case of the flu on that cold, fog-filled day. Pītā wasn't sure what he would've done if he ever saw him again but right then and there, he couldn't think of anything more appealing than breaking some of the kid's bones.

Might've been immature, might've been an overreaction but he'd almost been frozen to death on that day. "Do you? With Naruto?" Sakura reminded the lad, stuck in particularly sour thoughts as he washed all traces of the fake hunter-nin from his mind.

Instead, he attempted to focus on what had happened with Naruto that day. Which was tough, on account of him being locked in a makeshift cell of sub-zero temperatures and not knowing what day it was as his body slowly lost each and every single one of its basic motor functions. Yeah, Pītā was more than a little salty about that day.

The most he was able to remember was Naruto—as strange as it sounded—somehow roaring, like a wild beast. "It happened again, didn't it?" He knew where she was going with it; the unusual occurrence was bound to have reared its head at some point.

Pītā put it down to his suffering of a particularly nasty cold but he'd totally forgotten about it, he'd been too busy locked inside Tazuna's dockside house, covered in blankets and having Tsunami waiting on him hand and foot. Apparently, looking after one young son wasn't enough for the single mother.

The only thoughts he was able to spare pertained to his stuffed nose, his chest being smothered in vapour rub—no matter how much he fought the woman—and the hot water bottle he had to carry everywhere with him. Yeah, it had not been a fun time for the young superhuman.

"The look in his eyes, Pītā… it was just _so_ wild." Sakura spared a concerned glance the sleeping boy's way, not fully sure just what was going on with him.

The searing red of his eyes, complete with pitch black slit pupils, had burned its way into the child's brain. Seeing a friend in such a feral state wasn't something she would've forgotten anytime soon, she doubted she'd forget it all. Pītā was mimicking the Kunoichi, instead of wearing a worried disposition, he assumed one of suspicion. Narrowing his brown eyes, the spider knew that there was more to Naruto than he initially thought.

It seemed the kid was hiding something just as he had been, keeping a secret of his own under wraps. Though that begged the question, was Naruto aware of it? Did he truly know what was going on with him or was he just as clueless as his teammates? Those were questions Pītā couldn't answer, not without a little more research into these newfound abilities that the kid possessed.

Pītā softly tapped Sakura's arm, deftly drawing her attention to the conversation once more. "After that?" He beckoned for her to find her bearings, eliciting a small nod out of her.

She ran through it in her head, what had happened after the second unusual occurrence with her mischievous peer. "Naruto tried, he tried his best but… that man did something to him. I don't know what it was but… Naruto was down for the count, he barely even had to touch him. Then it was just him and Sasuke… the mark on his neck, the dangerous Chakra, all because of _him_." Sakura shut her eyes as she felt her breath hitch in her throat; it was a lot to take in after all.

Pītā refrained from rubbing the spot on his own neck, the very spot Orochimaru had sank his sharpened fangs into. He couldn't explain it, the two puncture wounds were gone but there was an itch there he just couldn't scratch. Just knowing that Pītā had battled Orochimaru had been enough for Sakura; he didn't want to give her a heart attack by revealing he'd also been bitten by the psychopath.

"This was… this was just supposed to be a simple competition, I knew it'd be hard but I didn't think things would get so… so…" She trembled, her mind processing everything that had taken place in the span of a mere forty eight hours.

Two days, stretched out to the point they felt more like a lifetime. The girl shook as she held her face in her hands, failing to resist the overwhelming urge to just have a good cry. She didn't know what was wrong with her, whether it was her injuries, her exhaustion or her emotional state but she just felt so helpless. So much had happened; one man had virtually ripped apart her entire preconceived notion of what was right and wrong.

And there was nothing she could've done to stop him, except stand there and watch everything around her crumble. "Sakura," but then another voice defied that, remaining steadfast and unbreakable in a storm of chaos.

Sakura slowly raised her head, finding a hand on her shoulder and kind, confident eyes staring right into her own. "Cry all night if you want, nobody'll judge you. But you'll just be exhausted come sunrise, no ifs, ands or buts about it." He raised his eyebrows as he spoke softly, one of the only features she was ever able to see.

She dried her eyes hastily, using the bare skin of her arms as messy as it was. "I know," she murmured the reply, a grateful smile pushing her sorrow and insecurities towards the furthest recesses of her mind for the time being.

"You're tired, kiddo. That's all this is, your body's just struggling to stay awake, doesn't even know what it's doing anymore. We're outta here come daybreak, get some sleep." Pītā advised, before repositioning himself to lie down.

Sakura watched him place his hands behind his head as a sort of makeshift pillow, getting himself comfortable—as much as he could on the grass ground—before he stared up at the night sky. A moment of silence passed before she did the same, taking the ripped up flak jacket she was using for her leg and gently lowering her head onto it.

The pair of them lay next to each other, their heads parallel but their bodies stretching off in opposite directions. "What if someone tries ambushing us in our sleep?" Sakura voiced, just as the ninja was getting ready to close his eyes and drift off.

Lazily, exceedingly so, Pītā lifted his hand and tapped his head. "Spider-sense, remember?" He reminded her, causing her to mouth a silent 'oh'.

The girl shifted slightly, trying to find the sweet spot for her comfort. "Stop squirming," he bluntly interrupted her shuffling about, unable to catch his friend spit her tongue out at him.

"Just count the stars, should drift off in no time. It's a clear night, sky's full of 'em." The boy yawned with his words, that overwhelming fatigue he'd been suffering through earlier hitting him once again in full force.

Sakura listened to the suggestion, gazing into the endlessly dark heavens in quiet awe. "It _is_ beautiful," the girl took in the natural sight, her glowing green eyes glistening every time they caught the reflection of a star, twinkling in the distance.

Pītā slowly shifted his head, turning it to look at her. "I feel like this goes without saying but—" He was cut off as the girl mimicked him, their eyes meeting for a moment.

She smiled, an encouraging smile that set him at ease. "I won't tell a soul," Sakura reassured him, knowing perfectly well he was referring to the secret he'd shared with her.

The boy nodded, her word alone being good enough for him as he once again closed his eyes. "Goodnight, Pītā." It didn't take long for her to shut her own eyes, no counting stars necessary as the melodic sound of crickets chirping in the forest lulled her to sleep.

Several long minutes passed before Pītā cracked one eye open, noticing the steady rise and fall of her chest as he smirked beneath his mask. "Finally," he whispered, having successfully convinced his friend to get some shut eye.

That wouldn't have been possible had he told her about the scrolls, that during their time apart, he'd been given the rare opportunity of acquiring the other scroll they needed to even make it to next phase of the Chūnin Selection Exams. Sakura would've most likely screamed her lungs out, overjoyed that they wouldn't have had to spend another second in the forest.

But then nobody would've been able to rest, so Pītā decided that it was best to wait until daybreak. "People like surprises, right?" He tiredly chuckled, finally letting his body shut down as he settled in for the rest of the night.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** A lot of stuff happened, eh? Sasuke's curse mark, Karin's introduction, Sai's got his own little thing going on (just what is he doing?), Pītā's realizing that something's going on with Naruto and Sakura knows all about the spider-sense.

A lot of stuff.

Anyway, I hope this wasn't too much of a pain to read for you guys. I just wanted to move the story on, I feel like we've been stuck in the forest for so long now (because we have, go figure). Next chapter, the preliminary fights begin, which I'm really excited to get into. Thanks for your patience, guys and as always, thanks for reading!

 **Guest Reviews:**

 **Aztec 13:** I like to think of myself of a Spidey connoisseur, so I try to fit in as many easter eggs and references as I can that call back to the web-head's mythos in any medium. Doesn't matter which incarnation of Spider-Man it is, that Parker Luck is always a pain.

 **Great Saiyaman54:** I do indeed, good ideas all around. As for the symbiote, I do plan on exploring that but not until Pītā's older, post time-skip.

 **Guest1:** I'm glad, hope you stick around!

 **Nick T:** That's a good question, that's a really good question. In all honesty, I don't know. In the same way we don't know whether life exists somewhere out there in the universe, there isn't anybody on the Narutoverse Earth that would know whether or not advanced alien races exist or not, much less despotic overloads that want to rule existence. It'd certainly be interesting if that were the case but for now, I think things are going to stay Earthbound. Thanks for the support, Nick.

 **MewLover9000:** Awesome review, yo.

 **Guest2:** I do too, one of my moments of the story thus far.

 **Gadget boy:** Haha, thanks! Here's another chapter, there's still more story to be told!

 **coldblue:** Ah, I see you've taken an interest to Dosu. It's a shame what happened to him in canon, right? Pity his character was wasted, right? Well, I think I'm going to try and remedy that.

1) Let's just say that the next time we see Dosu, he'll have changed. I don't want to give too much away but he's smart, dead smart. The device on his arm is nothing to scoff at and he knows it, so expect to see more from him.

2) What I have planned for Kin is... it's really something, I'll tell you that. Again, I don't want to spoil anything but it will not be what you think.

3) I have thought about the pairing, yes. It's not a major concern for me yet but I know the direction things are going in, so they'll steer in that direction. Though, things aren't always set in stone and I could change my mind at any time so who knows.

4) Sasuke's, though you probably already know that by now :P

5) That's a good idea, I have thought about the counter Earth story where personalities and events change. I think Pītā would either be extremely cowardly, unfunny and not smooth. Or I could go another way, where Pītā doesn't use his abilities responsibly and instead uses them to assert his superiority over others. I think the second might make for a more engaging story, as our Pītā might have something to say to a version of himself that doesn't use his powers responsibly.

6) Juria will appear soon enough, she's her own character with her own issues and motivations so it won't be as cut and dry as her just showing up to teach a kid she's never met before. It'll be interesting exploring the dynamic between her and Pītā, trust me.

Thanks for all the reviews, guys, appreciate it.


	15. Sanctuary

**Sanctuary (Chūnin Exams Arc)**

The previous day…

A tired and somewhat haggard looking Anko Mitarashi broke free of the suffocating grip the Forest of Death had on her, venturing out underneath the darkening and dimming sky in the centre of the battle zone. She took a moment to pause and relax; straightening out the ruffles and creases of her trench coat whilst also clearing the material of clingy leaves and grass. The soles of her feet throbbed, hidden away within the confines of her dark blue sandals, as she hadn't stopped moving ever since leaving the boy who'd fought by her side.

Anko needed to get to the tower and get to the tower she had, letting the urgency of the situation slip as she lazily trudged her way through the small green clearing. The amount of effort she had to put into lifting her legs in order to ascend the stone steps leading up to the tower was exhausting, her exposed chest beneath the mesh netting she wore rising and falling with every laboured breath.

"I don't know if it's the dango… or the lack of exercise but man, I am _really_ out of shape." She mused, wiping away the sweat that had begun to fall from the fringe of her spiky purple locks.

Finally, after such a long trek through the unpredictable dangers of the wilderness, Anko pressed both hands against the large red double doors of the tower. "Sanctuary," the acting proctor of the second phase of the Chūnin Exams felt a relieved grin tug at her lips, disappearing in seconds as she gritted her teeth and pushed with all her might.

She really was running on fumes, her arms feeling as though they might've snapped clean in half at any given moment. The doors creaked, initially fighting against the force until they could fight no longer, slowly parting and granting the woman right of way. Anko had to take a moment to rest against the door, if it hadn't been her lack of fitness, it had been the pain her curse mark inflicted upon her.

The Kunoichi was so caught up with catching her breath, trying to make the spots go away, that she failed to register the presence of two people ahead of her. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage of Konoha, the Village Hidden in the Leaves, simply cleared his throat. Anko immediately snapped her head up towards the noise, her cheeks heating up slightly when her pale brown eyes settled on the sight of the most powerful man in their country.

"Lord Hokage! You—you made it!" To say the woman was elated would've been an understatement, the sheer sound of his voice enough to grant her the strength she needed to push on.

Hiruzen eyed the woman, barely holding herself together as she stumbled towards him. "With all due respect, Anko… I was going to say the same to you." He held his hands behind his back, a smoking pipe securely in place between his lips as he spoke.

Anko barely noticed the taller ninja beside the Hokage, but quirked an eyebrow in his direction as he silently stared at her. "Who invited you?" She mocked, falling apart piece by piece under the man's scrutinizing gaze.

"The Jōnin were informed of the situation shortly after the news reached the Hokage, he made the very wise decision to send a team of ANBU into the forest after you." Kakashi Hatake, the one-eyed copy-nin of the Leaf, informed her in the most level tone Anko had ever heard.

Though, that was probably because she'd been on the receiving end of a vile repetitious tongue and a boy that hadn't even gone through puberty yet. "I thought I made myself very clear when I said that I'd handle it alone," she pushed back, hating how relaxed he was while she swayed and struggled to stand upright.

Kakashi shook his head, his gloved hands tucked firmly into his pants pockets just as they always were. "Let's not beat around the bush, Anko. We both know you're a very capable ninja, but the only person in this village—in this country—who could even hope to match that maniac is standing right next to me." He pointed out, leading to a bob of the head from Hiruzen as a silent show of appreciation.

Anko spat her tongue out at the straight-faced Shinobi, serving to ruffle his feathers quite a bit. "Nobody likes a brown-nose, Kakashi." She teased, watching the man stiffen.

Before he could respond in kind, Hiruzen felt the need to express his concerns over the situation. "He's right, my dear. Orochimaru is a _very_ dangerous man, he could've killed you, quite easily too." He was brutally honest, part of why Anko respected him so much.

And even though the Hokage was one of the people who knew Orochimaru intimately, she knew him too. "He doesn't have the stones to kill me; guy's practically sweet on me." She let a grin grace her sweat covered face, she probably wouldn't have been standing there had he actually wanted to end her life.

Even despite the Pākā kid's best efforts, Orochimaru had every opportunity to finish her. Perhaps it was due to their history; perhaps it was the remnants of a forgotten relationship. Or perhaps it was the fact that Anko was one of his first successful experiments, perhaps that stayed his hand. Orochimaru wasn't exactly a simple man; she doubted he was a 'man' at all anymore.

She'd been afraid during their brutal encounter in the forest, of course she had. But in all honesty, despite her hardy exterior, Anko had been more scared for the little punk fighting tooth and nail with her every step of the way. She remembered how she'd dropped to her knees, slamming the boy's still chest repeatedly as anxiety and fear consumed her.

And then his eyes shot open, his lungs working again as she held him in complete silence and paralyzing relief. In comparison to that haunting few minutes in time, the fight itself seemed like nothing. It almost made her feel sorry for the man standing before her, judging her for such a poor decision, completely oblivious to the fact that he'd almost lost a student.

"It's all very funny, isn't it? When a man invades our village, murders a group of visiting ninja, a group of kids… prime comedic material at its finest. And what do you do? You throw caution to the wind; storm into that forest with absolutely no back-up like it's some kind of game." Kakashi yanked the woman right out of her sombre thoughts and back into an even more depressing reality, Anko knew he was being serious as he'd removed his hands from his pockets.

He'd moved beyond 'relaxation mode' and into full-on 'assault mode', that usually half-lidded eye of his now narrowed. "You were worried about me?" Anko followed up, a smirk pulling at the corner of her lips.

Not because she wasn't taking things seriously, more so because Kakashi was getting himself worked up for no reason. "I was and still am worried about you; in a situation like this I'm worried about _everyone_. My kids are still in that forest and they aren't the only ones," he gave an honest reply, it was his duty as a Jōnin to not only look out for his students but to look out for _all_ students, all Leaf-nin.

Anko shook her head; despite his laidback demeanour, Kakashi had always struck her as the kind of guy to take his position far too seriously. "You don't give 'em enough credit, handsome." She once again ribbed in an effort to get under his skin, he'd been the most vocal sensei in trying to give the rookie Genin a shot at the exams.

For how sharp Kakashi was, he was still blind to the game Anko was trying to play with him. "I think at this point, she's simply trying to push your buttons." Hiruzen pitched in, placing a hand on the taller man's shoulder before he could respond himself.

Anko rolled her shoulder, feeling slight resistance as the tainted mark she had been branded with began to ache once again. "Can you blame me? He's such an easy target," she mused, powering through the slowly rising pain.

Kakashi narrowed that dull grey eye of his, finding it oddly perplexing that he was feeling such a way. "You're a child playing ninja," he felt it boiling within him though his deadpan tone did nothing to give it away, it rarely ever did.

Anko was one of the only people he knew that could get to him in such a way, what was worse was that she made it seem so easy. "Oh, right where it hurts, my inner youth." She slapped his very formal insult right out of the air, beads of sweat still rolling down her forehead.

The silver haired copy-nin was so focused on the heat between them, so focused on their little pow-wow that he'd failed to notice _her_. "Enough, both of you. Kakashi, give her some room to breathe. Anko, I'm sure beyond that playful exterior you can appreciate the severity of the issue at hand." Hiruzen cut in, watching as two extremely accomplished ninja—in their own unique ways—slowly devolved into two squabbling children.

She took those pale brown eyes of hers—just beckoning Kakashi to challenge her—and focused them on the leader of their great village, softening somewhat as she sent the man a wistful smile. "I sent for you, didn't I?" It'd been the first thing she'd done upon learning of the Hidden Grass ninja that had been murdered, she might've been headstrong but she was no idiot.

Something that Hiruzen knew all too well, though he would've preferred her not taking on an insanely powerful psychopath all by herself. "That you did and I thank you for it… now, would you care to tell me why he's here?" He pressed, having fortunately averted a larger shouting match between the two Jōnin present.

Anko shrugged, if she had learnt of the man's grand scheme she would've spilled the beans sooner. "He didn't exactly spell out his master plan if that's what you're thinking," she spoke, her tone soured with disappointment.

It just wasn't that easy, not with _him_. "A little surprising to be honest, despite his nefarious nature, he was never one to shy away from a good gloat." The Hokage observed, his former student had something of a superiority complex.

Kakashi felt it was time to jump back into the conversation, being a little more pro-active with his approach. "He said nothing? Gave away no clues, no hints… nothing at all?" He stepped towards her, hands gesturing as he dug for answers.

Answers which Anko didn't have, much to her frustration. "Speaking to a larger plan? No, nothing. But he did…" The woman trailed off upon realizing what she'd forgotten, closing her eyes and wincing as she wanted to kick herself for not bringing it up sooner.

She really was all over the place, her knees wobbling as the tainted mark burned into her neck continued to throb and pulse. "Did what, Anko? What did he do?" Kakashi pressed, seeing the anxious look on her usually coy face serving to soften his tone.

"Genma's going to want to hear this, where is he?" She looked past the one-eyed ninja before her, finding an eager to listen Hiruzen.

He quirked an eyebrow, the upper half of his face cloaked in shadow underneath that large triangular headpiece of his. "Waiting patiently with the rest of the Jōnin, should I send for him?" Their superior questioned, his gruff tone masking the interest in his voice.

Anko nodded repeatedly, just the act making her chest heave. "At once, Lord Hokage. This matter directly concerns him and I'd hate for him to be the last one to—to—agh!" The woman stunned both men when she cried out in pain, clutching her neck in a mad panic as she lost any bearing on where she was.

Her long bare legs failed her, buckling beneath her weight as the curse mark played havoc with her basic motor functions. She suddenly felt weightless for the first time in hours, saliva leaking from her mouth as it hung open in shock. The pain had just hit her all at once, as if it'd been building up and up inside her for the longest time.

Anko couldn't think straight, her entire body locked in a rolling state of spasms as any and all control was wrenched away from her by that damned mark. "Easy, I've got you." She wondered why she hadn't hit the floor yet, staring up at the cold stone ceiling as a masked face entered her peripheral vision.

Kakashi had been close enough and fast enough to catch her, keeping her balanced in his arms as she writhed about in unbridled pain. "It's all right," he did his best to shush her moaning, feeling a pang of guilt sting his heart as the woman he'd been arguing with couldn't even form a simple word let alone a comprehensive sentence.

He kept her balanced as Hiruzen quickly reached the pair, placing both of his wrinkled and liver spotted hands onto Anko's sweating face. "It's that godforsaken curse mark," the most experienced man in the room—in any room usually—muttered to himself, he carefully inspected the subject of his spite with wary eyes.

Kakashi was having a hard time keeping Anko still enough for the Hokage to do his job, the woman was impressively strong. "It's never this volatile," the man observed, grunting slightly as he kept the woman's arms pinned by her sides.

Hiruzen nodded in agreement, the mark ached every now and again but he'd never seen a reaction this bad since it had first been sealed. "I'm sure we can attribute that to our guest's presence, it's still sealed away but he's done something to set it off." He concluded, forming a single hand sign with one of his hands before he applied it to the Kunoichi's neck.

It wasn't instantaneous but gradual, Anko's spasms and convulsions evening out and becoming less frequent until eventually, they ceased entirely. Both men held their tongue as Anko's heart stopped thundering against her chest, every muscle in her body uncoiling as they relaxed. She hung there for a moment, her oxygen intake returning to something a little more manageable as her head stopped spinning.

Hiruzen removed his hand, letting it disappear within the long white sleeve of his robe as he stepped away from the pair. "You have your hands quite full, Kakashi. Seat your charge on one of the benches, do as I just did and make sure that blasted mark stays inactive. I might be old but I'm not lazy, I'll see to Genma myself." He ordered, quite firmly too as he left the famed ninja alone.

Kakashi was about to carry out his superior's orders, slowly raising Anko to her feet when she broke away from his embrace. "I can walk myself," she frowned, stumbling over to one of the many flat stone benches that lined the walls of the room.

The copy-nin internally sighed; it was just his luck to be stuck with one of the most difficult women he'd ever met. "It's a miracle you're still standing let alone being a pain in the neck," he shot back, deadpan as usual as he easily strolled past her and set himself down on a bench.

Anko snorted, it was something she did when she genuinely found something funny. "Clever," she didn't bother hiding it like some women, crashing to Kakashi's side with about as much grace as a bull.

She raised her eyebrows expectantly, grinning as she pulled the collar of her open trench coat down. "I can't believe I'm about to get a massage from Kakashi Hatake, the most mysterious man in the Leaf! Somebody pinch me!" Anko, even after such a violent episode, couldn't shake her sense of humour as she cooed.

Kakashi's single eye stared at the woman, not completely understanding just what he'd done to deserve such a fate. "Unbelievable," he muttered into the fabric of his mask, raising his hand and mimicking the hand sign that Hiruzen had formed earlier.

Before he could make contact with Anko's neck, she spoke up and made him halt. "Be gentle with me," she mocked in the most innocent schoolgirl voice she could summon, forcing her company to shut his eye and seriously reconsider helping her.

"Behave," he bluntly told her, pressing his gloved hand against her neck and letting the Chakra flow.

Anko shut her eyes as the pressure and pain was slowly drained from that one point in her neck, those three black tomoe shaped marks. Kakashi was as stiff as a board as he made soft circular motions with his hand, nothing but silence hanging in the air as he essentially massaged the woman.

Of course, silence was never a mainstay with Anko around. "Who knew you had such magic fingers, eh, slick?" She didn't bother opening her eyes as she relished in the relief Kakashi was providing her, she knew full well he was shaking his head.

The Shinobi was honestly impressed with how quick she'd bounced back from such a distressing bout of pain, brushing it off with her usual antics and moving onto other things. "You realize you have knack for making people extraordinarily uncomfortable, right?" Or perhaps she just didn't want to dwell on it; perhaps she wasn't happy with the fact that someone else had seen her in such a vulnerable state.

Or perhaps Kakashi was simply overthinking things, perhaps Anko really was that fluid and adaptable. "It's a gift really," she laughed, leaning back and resting her back against the solid stone wall.

Kakashi kept at the task he'd been given, making sure the woman's curse mark was subdued for the time being. Meanwhile, she simply enjoyed it. The purple haired proctor had spent the past day or so knee-deep in wildlife, survived an encounter with her former psychotic sensei and all with an excruciating amount of pain stabbing her in the neck repeatedly.

So she was perfectly fine with a little rest and relaxation, she was perfectly fine with a little tender loving care, courtesy of one of Konoha's most talented ninja. The Tokubetsu-Jōnin smiled at that thought, that someone as infamous and feared as Kakashi of the Sharingan was filling the role of her masseur.

Classic.

On the other side of this little awkward encounter, the silver haired man was lost in his own thoughts. Though, they weren't quite as jovial as his client's mental ramblings. No, Kakashi, for his entire cold and formal demeanour, couldn't shake the concern he had for his team. It was one thing to suggest them for the Chūnin Exams but another thing entirely to let them roam free whilst a criminal was out there, one of the most notorious criminals in Konoha's history… perhaps the world's history.

Kakashi remembered his first hostile encounter with the Shinin—he still couldn't believe he'd been allowed to even keep that title—something which he'd tried hard to forget. The way he'd frozen in fear in front of the man, standing there as his irises shrank in terror and his body began to shake, struggling to convince his muscles to obey his manic commands.

And Orochimaru hadn't even lifted a finger, hadn't even coughed in his direction. It wasn't his finest moment, which was why he was so eager to forget it. But if he—an elite Jōnin blessed with so many years of first-hand experience and knowledge—could not even engage the snake, then what hope did a group of rookie Genin have?

"You didn't happen to see any of them out there, did you?" Kakashi shook the content woman from her thoughts, prompting her to crack an eye open and glance at him.

Anko knew who he was referring to; he didn't have to spell it out for her. "You're still worried about them, aren't you?" She pressed incredulously, opening both of her pale brown eyes as she sat up straight once more.

Kakashi didn't see what was so hard to believe, he was well within his right to feel some sense of concern given the ridiculous situation. "More than you know," he told her, a deathly serious expression hiding beneath that black mask of his.

Anko appreciated the honesty on his part, it was hard for him to admit as much but he wasn't exactly the touchy feely type. "Before you start crying on my shoulder, yes, okay? I might've crossed paths with one of your tykes," then again, neither was she.

Kakashi's hand froze, suspended against her sweat covered skin as he processed her words. "Elaborate," was all he said, that lone eye of his narrowing.

The subject of his scrutinizing gaze shifted slightly, he was one to talk about making people feel uncomfortable. "Kid helped me out of a tough spot, no big deal." She excused, weakly grinning as Kakashi's unwavering gaze held true.

Anko felt his fingers leave her neck and inwardly frowned, she was really starting to enjoy it. "No more massage?" Again, she threw up her hands in another weak attempt at humour as Kakashi fully turned to her.

"Which one?" He asked her, his tone even and level just as it always was.

Though, Anko couldn't escape the feeling that he wouldn't be receptive to yet another 'jokey' response. "Pākā," so she opted for the hard truth and to her credit, didn't even flinch.

Kakashi nodded, he'd been expecting that very name to slip past her lips in all honesty. "I might've guessed… what sort of 'tough spot' did he help you out with?" He pressed onward, furrowing his brow in suspicious when Anko laughed.

He was suspicious because it was a nervous laugh, a laugh that betrayed something. "Oh, this is the part where you get mad at me, isn't it?" Anko queried, suddenly not feeling as confident as she had been.

Kakashi was in no mood to play games, there was a time and place for that. "Depends if you say something that'll upset me… you're going to, aren't you?" He honestly expected it of her at that point; she hadn't exactly been the bearer of good news in the short time they'd been talking.

"Yep," Anko confirmed with a single nod of the head, as if she was preparing the man for what she was about to tell him.

Kakashi had to prepare himself, he didn't like the way the conversation was going and he knew deep down inside why. "Tell me," he requested, ready and willing to accept whatever it was she had to offer.

Anko opened her mouth to speak as she thought back to what had happened, a lump forming in her throat as it all came rushing back. "Kid helped me fight off Orochimaru," she swallowed the lump, almost spewing the sentence out in an avalanche of anxiety.

Kakashi had to lean back, his usually half-lidded eye as wide as a saucer. He'd been expecting it; he'd been expecting something of that magnitude. He had, he really had. But expecting it and actually hearing it were two completely different things, as some sort of mental premonition became hard hitting reality.

The man set his jaw as a bout of anger swelled up inside of him, he felt it brewing, he felt it rising and he had to resist the urge to hit something. Kakashi rarely felt any of these feelings; he didn't consider himself an emotional man. Compassionate, yes. Strict, yes. But never emotional and rarely angry, he just wasn't the type to submit to that.

Anko saw it, she saw it as clear as day. "You have—you have every right to be angry, you do and I totally get that. But before you explode on me, just hear me out for a second, okay?" She held up her hands in a show of peace, her expression softening as Kakashi's searing gaze pierced her.

He was never angry but he did consider himself a patient man, a fair man. "Whatever it is you have to say, it better be damn compelling." He wouldn't betray that view of himself, but he'd have been lying if he said he hadn't considered it.

Anko felt a little better with the tiny amount of wiggle room she'd been given, quickly spouting her defence. "My little playdate with Rochi didn't go so well, he's just as powerful as ever." She talked so fast that Kakashi almost had trouble registering her words, blinking momentarily before reassuming his stern expression.

"How is this supposed to help your case exactly?" He pressed, surprised and slightly insulted when Anko placed a finger to his fabric covered lips.

The woman shushed him, she actually shushed him. "Would you let me finish?" She questioned, a little vexed that he'd interrupted her.

Kakashi clenched his jaw so tightly that he felt it could've snapped at any second, she was unbelievable. "Fine," but again, he had the patience of a Saint.

Anko knew she was pushing her luck with him; there was a part of her that just couldn't help it. "So imagine my surprise when your kid comes along, drops in out of nowhere and just starts trading hands with him." She grinned relating that last part, sheer giddiness evident as she balled her hands in glee.

Kakashi took a moment of pause; he wasn't sure what was so funny about it. "Is he all right? Is Pītā all right, Anko?" He attempted to push through the woman's enthusiasm for what should have been a harrowing event, placing both hands on her trench coat covered shoulders.

Anko mimicked him, firmly gripping the ninja's flak jacket and staring him square in the eye. "Squirt's more than all right, you silver haired fox. He held his own against one of the legendary Shinin! You're not impressed? Not even a little bit?" Now she was the one levelling a perplexed look his way, arching an eyebrow in confusion.

The Shinobi removed his hands, leaving his female companion to do the same as he sat back. "I—I don't know… on the one hand, spiders are notoriously formidable and Pītā's no exception. But… the danger, the threat Orochimaru poses… what if the worst had happened?" Kakashi tried to make heads or tails of the information as he sat there, a little dumbstruck.

He'd meant what he said, he really didn't know what to think, what to _feel_. He knew perfectly well how capable Pītā was, he was reminded of it daily as the boy consistently performed incredible feats of superhuman prowess. But his mind kept winding back to that word, that very important word that had to be considered.

Pītā was just that, a boy. Then Kakashi had to sigh and run a hand through his spiky silver hair, he was hypocritical. He'd quite bluntly shut Iruka Umino down for not giving the rookie Genin enough credit, he'd made sure his dull voice was heard as the Hokage took in nominations for the Chūnin Exams. And there he was, trying to decide if he should've been outraged, upset or proud of what Pītā had done.

He shook his head, teaching the next generation was beginning to become far more complicated than he'd initially thought. "But the worst _didn't_ happen, Kakashi. He was protecting me, _me_ of all people. A rookie Genin defending a Tokubetsu-Jōnin, you can imagine how worthless I feel right now." Anko dragged him away from his unusually conflicting thoughts and back to the conversation they were having, a knot in her eyebrows as she assumed quite a sombre expression.

A break from the norm, Kakashi was used to spying any and all manner of looks on her face. Smug, coy, angry, seductive, joyful, determined… but never sadness, simply because Anko never let the mask slip. Like a lot of people in their line of work, she was broken. She knew it, he knew it, didn't matter because it was something they had in common.

But the two of them also had something else in common, they were both stubborn. "Anko," Kakashi spoke, his voice a shade lower in volume as the two sat there in the large empty room.

The bearer of the name he spoke reached over to touch his hand; she wanted to say something too. "I don't know how much this is worth, I'm not some infamous 'copy-nin' in a bingo book and I'm not even a fully ranking Jōnin for crying out loud. But I saw something in that forest, something I'm still trying to wrap my head around. It was amazing, Kakashi. I don't know how else to describe it, just… _amazing_." She smiled; she couldn't fight it off as the man could do nothing but listen.

Kakashi wasn't sure what happened in that forest, he could've spent all day and all night trying to imagine but he didn't _know_. He hadn't seen what she had, hadn't been witness to whatever it was that was lifting her spirits. All he knew was that it involved his student and he had to admit, the word 'amazing' did seem to fit.

"He stood up to overwhelming odds, getting involved in a fight he had no business getting involved in. Because of me, because of what I did, because of some stupid sense of duty I had. The most wanted criminal in Konoha's history and he… he just wouldn't lie down, refused to call it quits. I don't know him well, but I do know this. He's brave, Kakashi… as brave as they come." She confessed and the man had to admit, she rarely said anything nice about anyone.

He nodded, he couldn't exactly be angry with the lad after he'd defended Anko. "I get it," he muttered, a little hesitant to speak it outright but silently confident that Pītā simply thought he was doing the right thing.

He wasn't going to chew the spider out for bailing Anko out; it simply wouldn't have been fair. "If you really want to blame someone for what happened, blame me." The purple haired Kunoichi asserted, her gaze hardening as Kakashi studied her.

She meant every word, dead serious in the fact that she was the one at fault. "Believe me, Anko… I already do." He agreed, she'd been too reckless and had indirectly put one of his students at risk.

But he was fresh out of anger, of outrage of any kind. Just by looking at her, the pain she was in, he saw that she'd been through hell. Anko held herself accountable, willing to accept any form of disciplinary action. She was punishing herself, he knew that much. Kakashi could've easily accepted, could've easily raised the issue with the Hokage.

But truth be told, he was just glad she was safe and sound. "Just… just focus on recovering, let me know if the mark starts acting up again." He sounded exhausted, he didn't intend to but the woman in front of him just had that effect on him.

True to his thoughts, Anko sank back into her seat. "But I… yeah, sure." She folded her arms and bowed her head as Kakashi rose out of his seat, placing his gloved hands on his waist as he stared at the large double doored entrance to the tower.

As if he was expecting his team to tumble through it at any moment, as if he was expecting to see Sakura's long pink locks, Naruto's ear to ear grin and Pītā's confident brown eyes. Silent minutes passed and Kakashi turned away from the door, they were still out there in the wilderness somewhere and he was still stuck in the tower, having to put his faith in them to the test.

But he nodded to himself, that faith had yet to break.

The quiet pair was alone no longer as the Third Hokage returned, this time with Genma Shiranui in tow. Chewing on a toothpick as it perched firmly between his lips, the man smirked when he saw a dower looking Anko on one of the many stone benches. He wasn't sure just why she looked so glum, the official word was that she'd purposefully pursued Orochimaru. In his own humble opinion, she was lucky to be alive.

Then he saw his fellow sensei, Kakashi. Usually loose in the way he carried himself, the Jōnin instead appeared to have been tense. It was evident in the way he stood, his entire form seemed too rigid. Something was clearly wrong, something Genma hadn't been informed about. The Hokage himself didn't even know what it was; just that it directly concerned him.

Stuffing his hands into his pants pockets, the sensei of Team 9 nodded towards Kakashi. "You know, I'm sensing a lot of tension here. Not interrupting anything, are we?" He ribbed the duo, always eager to sew a little humour amongst his colleagues.

The copy-nin ignored the banter, he'd engaged in quite enough of that with the self-proclaimed queen of it. "Anko, we're waiting." He reminded the woman, who still had yet to raise her head and even acknowledge Genma's arrival.

At the man's behest, Anko lifted her head and finally graced the newcomer with her gaze. "Look, there really is no easy way to say this so… I'm just gonna be blunt. At some point during the second phase of the Chūnin Exams, Sasuke Uchiha was branded with the Heavens' Curse Mark by Orochimaru." She revealed, stunning all three men into silence.

Kakashi didn't know what to say, except the idea of Anko being the bearer of more bad news caused his head to throb. Genma was even more lost, his mouth opening slightly and loosening the grip it had on the toothpick it was housing. It lightly dropped to the floor, making absolutely no noise whatsoever as he continued to stare at the purple haired Kunoichi.

Hiruzen cleared his throat, less so to get everyone's attention and more to find his voice. "This is… certainly serious, thank you for bringing this to our attention." He nodded towards Anko, who'd potentially risked her life for such vital information.

"How do—how you know this exactly?" Genma's jovial disposition was soon replaced by one of cautiousness; he was never one to jump to conclusions or to overreact.

He was admired for just that reason actually, beneath his wisecracking surface was a very calm level-headed man. "The bastard told me himself, he'd done it long before I found him. You were right about that, Lord Hokage… he couldn't resist gloating." Anko stated bitterly, a frown lining her usually smirking lips.

Kakashi pondered things for a moment; there wasn't even a guarantee that what Orochimaru said was true. "He could be lying," he reasoned, taking all possible scenarios into account.

Though, the Hokage did the same and if possible, practised even more logic. "Why? What would he hope to gain from such a deceit? No, until proven otherwise, we have no choice but to take these claims seriously." The leader of the Leaf Village advised his subordinates, it was better safe than sorry after all.

Again, Kakashi's sharp mind was attempting to work its way through things. "That can't be the only reason he's here, can it? Invading the world's most powerful Shinobi village for one boy?" It almost seemed absurd, at least he thought so, evident by the scepticism in his dull tone.

The man in charge bobbed his head, acknowledging the folly of such a plan. "Your guess is as good as mine, Kakashi." But they could've speculated about it for hours on end, it wouldn't have done anyone any good.

Genma cut into the debate that was going nowhere, giving Anko his focus instead of the two men. "The curse mark… it's the same one you're plagued by, correct?" He didn't mean to point, it was just reflexive.

Luckily, Anko didn't seem to mind much. "Last I checked, yeah." She answered, leaning forward to hunch her back over and rest her elbows on her knees.

Genma continued down his train of thought, a mental path he wasn't sure he liked. "The one that kills most of its users?" The Shinobi knew the answer, he was just fruitlessly hoping that he'd heard wrong.

Alas, Anko smashed that hope to pieces. "Only one in ten survive," she bluntly stated, using brutal words to describe a brutal process.

Genma swallowed, swiftly nodding as his usually optimistic mind immediately went to the darkest place. "He could already be dead, out there alone in the forest. I… I have to leave, I have to try and find him." His student's life was hanging in the balance, not an everyday thing to joke about.

The accomplished Jōnin, a former student of the Fourth Hokage, broke away from the group and attempted to leave. "Genma, see reason. We don't even know for sure if what Orochimaru said is true," he would have, had Kakashi not blocked his path with both hands raised.

Anko cocked her head to one side, watching each and every visual cue Genma was giving off. "Cyclops has a point; he's not exactly Mr. Trustworthy." He wasn't one hundred percent behind his actions; he didn't know what to do with himself.

Genma glanced back at the snarky woman, before returning his focus on Kakashi. "I can't just leave one of my students' lives up to chance," he affirmed, his brow knotted as he prepared to rush the man denying his exit.

Kakashi stood firm despite his intent, hands still on display as a sign of peace and reason. "I'm sorry to say but… yes… yes, you can. If we are to believe the snake, take his word at face value, then the deed is already done. It's out of our hands, out of _your_ hands. Sasuke is a brilliant boy; if he survived you can bet he'll come waltzing in through those doors with both Sai and Yakumo." In a rare change of pace, he was taking on the role of the glass half full kind of guy.

The blue bandana wearing sensei felt the urge to ignore his ally's words, felt the urge to leave the tower and venture off into the 44th Battle Training Zone sit and simmer within him. "And if not? What then?" Truthfully, he wanted a reason to stay.

He wanted to believe that Sasuke was alive somewhere, that he hadn't succumbed to that monster's infection. "We'll figure that out if it… if it comes to that, I promise you." Kakashi didn't want to say it; he didn't want to say the actual words.

For that matter, Genma didn't want to hear them. "I suppose all I can do now is trust in his strength and hope for the best," he was supposed to have been the optimist, he had to reinforce that.

Genma found a hand on his shoulder, somehow both frail and strong at the same time. "You aren't alone in that hope, Genma." Hiruzen encouraged, it was in times like this that they needed to band together and have each other's backs.

The man nodded, wordlessly thanking his leader for the support. "What now, Lord Hokage? What do we do about the serpent?" Anko rose from her seat, still a little shaky on her feet but her neck had stopped hurting so she couldn't complain.

The most experienced and powerful man there regarded her for a moment, quietly humming as he pondered her query. "That's a good question, a question I find myself unable to answer. Orochimaru is here, we know this for certain. What we don't know is the 'why', his motive, his reasons. Apologies, Genma but I speculate such reasons would extend far beyond a mere rookie Genin." In the end, he agreed with Kakashi's assessment of the situation.

A thief didn't break into a palace to steal a single gold coin; he had no doubt that there was more at play. "What do you propose then? We're playing host to our neighbouring countries, our allies. We're a little occupied, if you haven't noticed." Kakashi once again provided his input, folding his arms as the four of them conversed.

The Hokage raised his hand, taking the pipe out of his mouth to blow a bout of smoke into the stagnant air. "Wouldn't want to arouse suspicion and incite panic now, would we? I'm sorry to say but there isn't much we can do beyond continuing with the exams, keeping up appearances, that sort of thing." As useless as that sounded, they had no leads to follow up on.

No clues as to his whereabouts, no information of any kind. "Perhaps we should keep a close eye on Sasuke… if the Shinin has shown such an interest in him, he wouldn't stray too far." Genma shed some light on things, strengthening his hope that he'd see his student once again.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Kakashi concurred, if the boy was alive and well, he was their best shot at drawing Orochimaru out.

Hiruzen and Anko knew more than anyone that Orochimaru was a master of disguise, if he didn't want to be seen, nobody would've caught sight of him. Not just anyone could successfully infiltrate one of the great ninja villages and do so virtually undetected; his skills could not be denied. But neither could the absolute danger he presented, the threat to everyone and everything in Konohagakure.

Whatever the reason, whatever the agenda, they needed to find and put an end to that snake once and for all. As long as he was still breathing, nobody was safe and that… that was terrifying.

* * *

Present day…

Early morning arrived for the Forest of Death and those frequenting it, kids that were severely out of their element, their depth. Despite having moved on from the cold of night, sunrise offered no comforting warmth or enveloping light as the impossibly dense canopy kept everything covered in a shroud of darkness. It was quiet, a little too quiet actually. One of the only indications that it was day to those within the forest was the singing of birds overhead, jovially twittering as they fluttered about without a care in the world.

That serene calm was shattered as three rookie Genin diligently left the cover of the treeline surrounding the tower at the centre of the forest, cautiously crossing the threshold as they made their way towards the massive manmade construct. The tower was so tall; it managed to actually outpace the trees around it in the contest to reach the heavens. It wasn't quite there, but not too far off… at least, according to the pintsized twelve year olds.

It hadn't been long since the three kids had woken up, Pītā Pākā surprising Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno with not one but both the scrolls they needed to pass the second phase of the exams. Predictively, the blonde boy with the loudest voice imaginable had yelled his joy, pumping his fists and stamping his feet around in triumph.

On the other hand, Pītā hadn't been expecting the hug from Sakura. Apparently, she'd wanted nothing more than to leave the forest as soon as they'd set foot in it. Which, in hindsight, might not have been a bad move on their part. But it was almost over; the trio was literally within spitting distance of the goal they'd been trying to reach for the past couple of days. They eagerly bounded up the stone steps leading up to the tower, summoning the energy from who knew where and finally reaching the large double doored entrance.

Sakura shot a relieved look Pītā's way, a small smile evident on her creamy features. "Naruto, you wanna do the honours?" A smile the lad returned before he focused his attention on the shortest member of their team, who'd already acted on his request.

There was no stopping him; he was far too excited for that. In fact, Naruto was so raring to simply get inside the building to see what was next; he didn't say anything at all as he pushed with all his might. Both doors swung open, revealing not a welcoming committee, not a friendly face or even an unfriendly one for that matter.

Team 7 crossed the line and finally set foot on something that wasn't grass, dirt or tree roots… only to find nothing at all waiting for them. "This place is like a ghost town, are you sure this is the right tower?" Naruto was the first to speak, airing his confusion to the completely empty room.

Said room was large, more akin to a hall than a room if anything. Everything was stone, the walls, the floor, the ceiling, the pillars supporting said ceiling etc. Which meant it was cold, maybe even colder than outside.

Naruto was standing dumbfounded; Pītā simply cupped his hands around his mouth. "Health inspection!" He bellowed, the silly grin on his mouth disappearing when he barely received an echo back.

The room didn't have great acoustics, go figure. "Bathroom emergency!" Naruto parroted, chuckling like a maniac when Pītā reared up for yet another shout.

As if they were challenging one another to get louder each time, something kids would've done for fun. Then again, they were kids. It was tough to remember that sometimes, even tougher for Sakura to have to deal with it. And then even tougher for Pītā when Sakura slapped his arm for it, drawing the quirk of an eyebrow out of him.

"Why me?" He whined, holding his arm in faux pain.

Sakura rolled those large green eyes of hers, as if anything she did could've ever actually hurt him. " _You_ gave him the idea," she lectured, scowling at him as he stared at her cross-eyed in a playful manner.

Naruto ignored the pair's antics as they bickered amongst themselves, Pītā accusing her of being a buzzkill and Sakura telling him to grow up… he'd heard the back and forth a hundred times at that point to really weigh in on things. Instead, the messy haired jinchūriki let his ocean blue eyes roam around his new surroundings.

While their voices filled the silence of the room, Naruto blocked the noise out to actually do something useful. "Hey, guys, look! Up there!" He called out to them, pointing up at the far wall in an effort to gain their attention.

Suspending the heated debate about Pītā being immature and Sakura being too uptight, both kids followed their friend's finger to see just what he meant. "Huh… writing on the wall," Sakura wondered aloud, squinting slightly to try and read what it said.

Naruto mimicked the girl dressed in red, tilting his head to one side. "I think it's some kind of message," he came to the conclusion, arching an eyebrow when he felt an elbow rest on his shoulder.

Pītā was leaning on him, gesturing to the text scribed onto the wall ahead of them. "Well, don't leave us in suspense." He advised, prompting the boy to nod.

Naruto cleared his throat, as if preparing to give some kind of public speech. "If qualities of Heaven are your desire, acquire wisdom to take your mind higher. If Earthly qualities are what you lack, train your body and prepare to attack. What the heck is that supposed to mean?" Of course, after he'd so eloquently recited the cryptic text, he reset himself back to 'Naruto mode' with a clueless scratch of the head.

"World peace?" The resident joker of the squad gave a mock answer, shrugging as the only female present took a step forward.

Sakura raised her hand, using that as well as her eyes to follow along the chiselled inscription. "Wait, there's more to it. When Heaven and Earth are opened together, the perilous path will become righteous forever. This… 'something'—I can't make out that word—is the secret way that guides us from this place today," she relayed the rest of the message, turning to her allies to see what they made of it.

While Naruto was seemingly stumped, the spider was a little more critical. "As far as poetry goes, it ain't any Narrow Road to the Interior." He observed, drawing a stunned look of confusion out of his pink haired friend.

Sakura felt her mouth fall open, caught off-guard by the revelation. "Wait… you read poetry? You of all people? _You_ read poetry?" She had to repeat herself and even then, she still couldn't quite believe it.

Pītā smirked beneath that dark blue mask of his, folding his arms as he furrowed his brow. "That so hard to believe?" He pretended to be offended, his tone devoid of any humour whatsoever.

Sakura held her hands up, waving them quite excessively as she gave a small apologetic smile. "No, it's just… poetry's so… sensitive, so romantic. I'm curious, since when did you start reading it?" She clasped her hands together, sighing slightly as she described the art form.

Pītā shook his head; sometimes it was just too easy. "Since I discovered my inner woman," he deadpanned, eyes half-lidded as every single bit of Sakura's wistful interest was obliterated.

Sakura glared at him as he'd once again crawled his way under her skin, able to do it like nobody else could. "Do you always have to be so sarcastic?" She turned away from him, arms folded and a scowl decorating her annoyed face.

"Would you believe me if I said yes?" He didn't miss a beat, answering her question with one of his own as he wore a smirk.

A snap of the fingers drew the pair's attention, Pītā's eyebrows shooting up as Sakura's knotted together. "It's the scrolls! Heaven and Earth, that's what the message is talking about!" Naruto stated ecstatically, face lighting up as he figured out the small riddle.

Sakura blinked, she'd been so distracted by Pītā's little games that the mysterious message had completely slipped her mind. "As good a theory as any, Naruto." She composed herself, concurring with an encouraging nod as the boy beamed.

Pītā went to retrieve said items from his flak jacket when he realized that he wasn't wearing it anymore, he'd left the charred remains of the item where Sakura had been using it as a makeshift pillow, the very cold, very uneven forest floor. Instead, he'd been forced to store pretty much every single piece of equipment he'd been carrying in his pants pockets—front and back—and the small pouch tied around his waist, a line of brown serving to break up his dark blue shirt and pants.

The spider stuffed his hands into the pouch, keeping the scrolls he'd fetched separate from his shuriken and the yellow yo-yo he was still carrying for some reason. "I think now might be the time to open them," he suggested, retrieving the items in question.

After glancing at both Heaven and Earth scrolls—holding one in each hand—he passed them off, giving one to Naruto and one to Sakura. "Really? Just like that?" The latter voiced her hesitance on the matter, warily eyeing the scroll in her hand.

As if it was going to spontaneously combust or something, that would've been their terrible luck in a nutshell. "Just like that," Pītā responded, ushering the pair on with a single nod.

It was slow at first, even Naruto who usually dived headfirst into the deep end practised a bit of caution as they slowly peeled open the items pivotal to their success in the test. Pītā noticed Sakura's emerald green eyes on him; she was waiting for some kind of reaction out of him. It was still a little weird, still new to him having someone involved in his little secret.

He was listening out for his spider-sense too but so far, he hadn't received so much as a tingle, not a single buzz. Not even when plumes of smoke began to roll out of both scrolls, forcing Sakura and Naruto to drop them to the stone floor in panic. They scrambled backwards, eyes wide as they stood on either side of Pītā. The boy was naturally anxious as well but he still wasn't getting any warning signals, so he waited instead of jumping to conclusions.

The waiting paid off as the smoke cleared, leaving a man that all three Genin recognized standing in its swirling wake. "Sensei?!" Naruto immediately blurted out, any sense of fear or dread he'd had washing away completely.

Iruka Umino stood tall over his former students, wearing a proud smile as he looked them over for the first time in a good while. "Been a while, hasn't… it…? Sakura, what on Earth happened to your hair?" That smile slowly shrunk as he took a step forward, a sense of urgency in his movements.

It had honestly sort of slipped the girl's mind but as she raised her hand to feel her recently shortened locks, she was reminded just why she'd done it. "Oh… yeah… I—it was getting in the way, sensei. My hair wasn't styled with survival in mind, I had to change that." Sakura answered, speaking the truth yet shying away from a vital part of it.

Iruka looked to both male members of Team 7, eyeing them to corroborate her story not dissimilar to a concerned father. Naruto was unsurprisingly so happy to see the man again that he couldn't wipe that big silly grin off of his face, while Pītā simply raised his eyebrows and shrugged. Luckily, Sakura's hair had been enough to distract Iruka from her swollen eye. Though, both the swelling and the redness had reduced considerably, it was well on the mend.

He had no reason to believe her and truthfully, he agreed. "Smart decision, Sakura. My hair isn't exactly short either, that's where the pony tail comes in handy." The Chūnin pointed to the hair style in question, earning a curt nod from the twelve year old.

"Thanks for the advice, sensei but… what're you doing here, if you don't mind my asking?" Sakura responded, voicing the question that was playing on both of her companions' minds.

Iruka placed his hands on his waist, a level smile present on his lips as he regarded his former students. "I'm here because we Chūnin are tasked with welcoming back the test-takers; call it a stroke of good luck that I got to be the messenger for you guys." He explained, concealing part of the truth just as Sakura had done so herself.

He failed to mention the fact that he'd approached Anko that very same morning and personally advocated to greet Team 7 specifically, much to her neutrality on the subject. She had been swaying in the favour of letting Kakashi do it; they were _his_ kids after all. But Iruka had been so persistent, so vocal on the matter that she'd saved herself the headache and eventually caved.

Iruka hadn't seen them in so long, but that didn't mean he hadn't thought about them. His mind had been changed the day the sensei of the Leaf Genin had been summoned, called upon by the Hokage himself to nominate their squads for the trying exams. Initially, he'd been against it. Quite heavily too, actually.

The brown haired man—with a scar streaked across the bridge of his nose—wasn't willing to acknowledge the possibility that the children were ready for such a competition, he was convinced that he knew what they were capable of better than anyone else. Their limitations, their strengths, their weaknesses, their blind spots etc.

Iruka knew the ins and outs of his former class; at least… he'd thought so at the time. "Like a glorified mailman," the eldest and most experienced ninja present was pulled from his musings by the spider's simplified observation, employing a weary smile.

He'd come to expect such things from the boy, who was never afraid to speak his mind. "I haven't missed that sharp tongue of yours, Pītā. But regardless, I'm here to tell you… congratulations, you just passed the second phase of the Chūnin Exams." Iruka gauged their reactions as he announced the good news, sighting nothing but relief all across the board.

Naturally, Naruto was the most vocal. "Yeah! No stupid forest is big enough to stop us, believe it!" He balled his fists, struggling to contain his infectious excitement as he yelled.

Sakura was much more reserved in comparison, closing her eyes and cupping her hands against her heart. "We did it, we finally did it." She whispered, pure and unfiltered solace present in her quiet tone.

"Who's for pancakes?" Pītā reacted to the news the only way he knew how, with a hefty dose of dry wit.

Iruka laughed at the boy's suggestion, whether it was serious or not. "I'd love nothing more than to treat you all to a celebratory meal, perhaps some Ichiraku Ramen but unfortunately—" He began, recognizing that the acrobatic Shinobi's idea wasn't such a bad one.

A loud bombastic voice cut him off, belonging to the only person present who could've achieved such a volume. "Ramen?!" Naruto split the air, his bright blue eyes widening and glimmering with what could've only been described as admiration.

Sakura didn't get the full brunt of it, standing a full person away from him. "Naruto," she meekly murmured, covering her ears and wincing as the sound assaulted her senses.

No, the person who experienced the full effect just so happened to have been the only one with enhanced hearing. "All I can hear is a constant ringing… should I be worried?" Pītā poked fun as he owlishly blinked, rubbing his inner ear with his pinkie finger.

Naruto ignored the comments of his friends; either that or he just hadn't heard them in the sea of sound that'd flooded out of his mouth. "Yeah! Iruka-Sensei rocks!" The boy declared, bolting from his spot by his teammates to run straight for their former Academy teacher.

Iruka was barely ready for it on account of the short distance he'd crossed, receiving the orange and blue adorned lad with a hefty grunt. "Oof! Naruto! Calm down, you didn't let me finish!" He protested as the boy tackled him, wrapping his arms around the man's waist like a child would to their father.

Neither the Haruno girl nor the Pākā boy were shocked, they'd come to expect such over the top reactions from their ally. "I'm gonna eat every bowl in sight, I need this after all that stinking fish I had to eat!" Naruto boasted, his loud tone thankfully muffled as he buried his head into Iruka's flak jacket.

The oldest Leaf-nin present finally managed to pry the preteen off of him, though kept a hand on his shoulder. "It's good to see you haven't changed one bit, Naruto. I'm glad you made it, all three of you. And I'm doubly glad you kept your hands to yourself and refrained from opening the scrolls during the exams," he gazed down at his past pupil, receiving a bashful grin in return before he looked to the other two members of Team 7.

Sakura was the first to speak, her brow creasing as she pondered the man's words. "Why, sensei? What would've happened to us?" Opening the scrolls before the set time wasn't even something the child had considered, she was naturally curious about the alternative.

Naruto summed up his feelings on the matter in very simple terms, glancing back towards his friends with a frown. "Something bad, I bet." He speculated, returning his childlike gaze to his first sensei.

Iruka patted the jinchūriki on the shoulder; his gut feeling was right on the money. "When you're right, you're right. We Chūnin would've been summoned; we were under strict orders to knock out anybody knowingly breaking the rules. That and they'd be disqualified, as I'm sure you learned from Proctor-Anko." The Shinobi explained, the exams were a very serious affair after all.

Pītā raised his eyebrows as he stuffed his hands into his pants pockets, giving a curt nod all the same. "Harsh," he offered up his thoughts in one word but recognized the meaning behind such actions, ninja unable to obey simple rules had to have been punished somehow.

Iruka didn't think it was so bad; it certainly enforced the old saying of 'cheaters never prosper'. "But necessary, Pītā. This test wasn't just one of survival but also one of integrity, of grit. As a Chūnin, you need to be able to follow orders without question but also be aware of the strengths and weaknesses of those serving under you. A Chūnin is a leader, a guide for junior ninja to learn from and you need to set an example." The Shinobi eloquently put, reciting lessons he'd had to learn himself.

Sakura listened intently, she took any chance she could've to expand her mind and broaden her horizons. "I think I understand, sensei." She nodded, receiving an encouraging one in return.

Naruto agreed, following rules within reason was simple enough. "Yeah, me too." He expressed, laughing when Iruka decided to ruffle the youth's already messy hair.

Pītā squinted, tilting his head to one side as he played the fool. "I'm unclear," he feigned ignorance, prompting Iruka to shake his head and Sakura to nudge his arm.

After watching Pītā roll his eyes in response to the girl's silent scolding, Iruka addressed them once more. "Remember these words, kids and may they serve you well on your next mission… whenever that may be." He leaned forward slightly, initiating a slight bow as a show of respect.

Respect for their skills as ninja, obvious due to how far they'd come when he initially didn't think they were even cut out for such a gauntlet. Respect for the way they'd defied his expectations, or lack thereof. Respect for the way they hadn't changed, not one bit since the day he'd parted with them.

Kakashi had been right, they weren't his students anymore. But that didn't mean he couldn't have been happy for them, that didn't mean he couldn't encourage them and offer guidance for them every step of the way. Sakura for her strengths in theory but lack of skills in practice, her reliability on others except herself.

Naruto for his tendency to improvise and think outside of the box, but also his habit to rush headfirst into things. And Pītā for his amazing abilities and incredible intuition, but the overreliance he showed on those very same powers. They weren't perfect, he doubted any ninja was. But they were growing, getting stronger, making fierce progress, that he was sure of.

"Is everything all right, sensei?" Once again, Iruka had to be roused from his drifting grip on reality by the soft tone of Sakura.

Before the man could answer, Pītā threw his two cents in. "Daydreaming about pancakes? I know I am," he fondly remarked, his stomach having missed the breakfast it usually consumed every single morning.

Sakura directed an incredulous look at her taller friend, constantly surprised by virtually everything that came out of his hidden mouth. "Would you stop talking about pancakes?" She shook her head in disbelief, unable to predict the unpredictable.

Pītā shrugged, taking a moment to crack his back. "Sure, just as soon as Naruto stops talking about ramen." He countered, concealing a smirk as he stared at Sakura expectantly.

The girl had been effectively stumped, her mouth hanging open as her mind switched to standby mode. "He's got you there, Sakura." Naruto snickered; there was no chance on God's green Earth that he would ever stop talking about the thing he cherished most.

Iruka felt the need to break up the back and forth, watching as Sakura's cheeks began to burn. "I'm fine, students, really. I'm just… I couldn't be prouder of you, that's all." He garnered their attention with a warm smile, genuine pride swelling within him as he couldn't wait to see what they would accomplish.

Great things, he was sure of it.

* * *

It wasn't long before it was just Naruto, Sakura and Pītā once again. They'd been directed from the large concrete room by Iruka before he left them, instructing them that they'd have to wait with the other candidates before moving onto the third and final test. Apparently, they weren't the first to arrive at the tower but what surprised them most was that they also weren't the last.

They'd been taking it easy the night before, more than enough time for opposing teams to gain an advantage as they rested in blissful ignorance. It seemed they weren't the only ones having bad luck, the forest they'd just crawled out of toying with other unfortunate souls. Sakura was glad to have been rid of it, even if their new environment was cold, drab and dull.

Blank stone walls all around them, save for the glossy wooden floorboards that creaked with their every step beneath them. The tower's interiors were certainly simplistic as far as design went, then again, Shinobi weren't exactly known for their sense of style. The three teammates made the short journey in relative silence; even the most talkative member of their little squad wasn't his usual chatty-self.

Most likely due to the fact that they were about to share a room with the enemy and while even their fellow Leaf-nin were technically the enemy, the kids were thinking of the truly deplorable individuals they'd met during their time in the Forest of Death. Sound ninja, Sand ninja, an extremely powerful man with an uncanny resemblance to a cold-blooded reptile etc.

The list went on, which was why they felt as though they'd been knee-deep behind enemy-lines for the past several days. To say that they were still in their home country—the Land of Fire—still within the very borders of the village that'd birthed them, it would've sounded preposterous despite it being the truth.

The sound of sandals making contact with the wood floor ceased as Naruto, Sakura and Pītā stopped outside of a large sliding panel door. "I think this is it, guys." The former spoke, staring up at said door before he turned to his friends.

Sakura nodded as Pītā hanged back, blinking as his spider-sense began to mutely pound. "We'll follow your lead, Naruto." She encouraged the boy, prompting him to do the honours for the second time that morning.

The blonde didn't even hesitate as he pulled the panel-like door to one side, stepping through the frame and vanishing from their sight. "Pītā?" Sakura spoke the lad's name as he raised his hand, holding his head for a brief moment as he waited for the sensation to pass.

Seconds ticked by, seconds that brought about no change as his extrasensory ability continued to throb against his skull. "I'm fine," he alleviated the girl's worries with a smile, and then promptly forgot that neither she nor anyone else was able to see it.

Which was most likely why she was still standing there, concern fraught on her pale features as her eyebrow knotted itself together. "It's your spider-sense, isn't it?" She asked him, the words rolling off of her tongue so easily.

He'd never get used to it; well… maybe he would someday. "Getting some bad vibes from that room," the red and blue garbed ninja answered, there was no use hiding it from one of the only two people who knew.

The pink haired child in his company turned her attention towards the open door, her view inside obstructed as they stood a little ways down the hallway. "Dosu and his team?" Sakura once again pelted him with a question, only he wasn't able to answer this one.

His spider-sense simply warned him of danger; it wasn't able to recognize exactly what was posing said danger. "Could be… or it could be something else, won't know until we head in." Pītā reasoned, breaking away from her to stroll towards the door.

Sakura paused for a moment; she wasn't sure whether she'd inquired about the Sound team on behalf of Pītā or herself. She was anxious, assuming she was safe within the strong stone walls of the tower. But she'd forgotten that it was a place where the other candidates rested, not just her and her team.

The girl was so wrapped up in seeing Iruka-Sensei again, falling into a comfortable familiarity, that she'd naively put everything else out of her mind. "Right behind you," she put on a brave face; catching up to her friend and sticking to him like glue as they left the silence of the hallway.

The room was a little more homely in comparison to what they'd seen of the tower thus far, dark wooden beams and pillars splashed about to break up the drab greys of the callous stone. It was big, not as big as the initial room they'd inhabited upon entering the tower but still pretty big. It had to be if it was to carry out its function, housing whatever was left of the students who'd taken part in the second phase of the exams.

To Sakura's delight, Team Dosu was nowhere in sight. The room was filled with mostly familiar faces, Team's 3, 8, 9, 10 and even the Sand Siblings among them. Then there were the faces she'd never seen before, or had briefly upon sign-up for the exams but had quickly forgotten them. A trio of green garbed ninja stood at the back of the room, all boys to her surprise—breaking the usual expectation of two boys and one girl to a team—and all looked to have been from the Sand Village judging by their forehead protectors.

The only other team she didn't recognize was sat on some of the wooden steps in the room, a team consisting of older kids from Yugakure, the Hidden Hotsprings Village if Sakura remembered the symbol correctly. Three separated lines, all slanted. Sakura didn't know much about the village, just that it was situated in the Land of Steam, north east of her home country. Regardless, they didn't seem threatening in any way. At least, not 'Sound' levels of threatening.

Her bright emerald eyes were drawn to her shorter teammate, already mingling with the rest of the Konoha rookies. "I don't believe it, they got here before us." Sakura let out a relieved laugh, happy to see faces she'd known for most of her adolescent life.

Though, a part of her was slightly disappointed that they'd been beaten to the tower. " _We_ had time to kick our feet up and rest, _they_ probably had to work through the night to find a scroll." Pītā answered the girl, wordlessly volunteering to slide the door behind them to a close.

Sakura closed her eyes and silently chided herself; of course they'd lost precious time recovering. "I think I'm still in the process of waking up," she wore an apologetic smile, prodding herself in good fun as Pītā wordlessly waved it off.

Across the room, an eager Rock Lee had been waiting for a certain someone to show her pretty face as soon as Naruto had arrived. "Sakura!" The boy with the black bowl haircut—garbed in green skin tight spandex—waved jovially, prompting the object of his affections to offer a friendly smile in return.

"Hi, Lee." She greeted as she crossed the distance, leaving her arachnid-themed teammate alone to join the large gathering of Leaf Genin.

Pītā was about to follow when those sharp eyes of his caught sight of an ever watchful Gaara, standing with his arms folded—as if he knew any other way to stand—with both his taller brother and sister flanking him on either side. Kankurō had his hands stuffed into the pockets of his black body suit, his purple painted face spying Pītā right back.

Temari—in direct contrast to her glowering brothers—showcased a genuine smile as she openly waved at Pītā, earning a slow and rather confused wave back. He didn't know what to do; it was only polite to respond in kind. Despite the attention—both good and bad—Pītā moved on when his spider-sense continued to bug him, compelling him to investigate the direction the sensation was coming from.

He knew it before he entered the room; he knew full well just who his danger-sense was trying to warn him of. There was certainly more to Gaara than met the eye, notably the way virtually everyone in the room had very clear and blatant signs they'd just traversed a forest-spanning gauntlet filled with all manner of fatal things. Yet he did not, no traces of a fight he'd been involved with, no blood, no bruises, no dirtied clothes… not a scratch.

That was certainly peculiar, Pītā couldn't lie. But ultimately, his brown eyed gaze was drawn towards Team Kuentin. All three members, closely guarded in the far corner of the room, with their eyes focused firmly on him. The spider set his jaw; he wasn't sure whether or not they'd try anything there. Surely there were rules against that kind of conduct, right?

He had to hope so, because he didn't want anyone else getting hurt should one of them have started something. "Pākā! Stop standing there like a loon and get your butt over here!" The spider's attention was torn away from the intimidating trio that had ambushed him in the forest, the familiar guttural tone of Kiba Inuzuka entering his sensitive ears.

Pītā elected to join his friends, opposing students or not, anything was better than having a tense stare-off with three mentally unstable ninja. "What the heck happened to you? Where's your flak jacket?" The feral looking boy observed, his razor-sharp canines slightly peeking past his lips as he spoke.

"Damaged goods, I'll miss it dearly." The brown eyed boy dismissed the question, it was easy to make light of the situation after some time had passed.

Hinata Hyūga greeted the boy with a low bow, something she did out of pure reflex as Pītā politely did the same. "B-but Pītā… didn't your aunt m-make it for you?" The dark purple haired heiress raised the point, drawing a sigh from the lad.

He took the fabric of his dark blue shirt between his fingers, pulling it slightly before letting it slowly recede back into place. "Yeah, she's not gonna be too thrilled." There was a hint of humour to his voice, though there was also a hint of sadness.

Mainly because he knew how much effort and love his aunt had put into the garb, though unlike some things, it could've always been replaced in the end. "Neither is my mom," Sakura piped up, standing slightly behind Pītā as she held her hands behind her back.

Shino Aburame, having stayed out of the conversation thus far, decided to finally speak up. "I was wondering what was different about you… you cut your hair," he stated the obvious, peering at the altered hairstyle through his circular sunglasses.

Sakura nodded, a little self-conscious despite everyone saying so far how much they liked the sudden change. "It—it's so short," Hinata meekly peaked up, eyeing the girl's pink locks with a tiny smile.

She preferred short hair too, as evidenced by her easier to manage choice. "Just like yours, right, Hinata?" Naruto pointed out, his jovial tone a little too loud at such a close proximity to the girl.

Pītā raised his eyebrows as the second shortest rookie's milk-white complexion burned a fierce pink, glancing at Kiba and receiving a confused shrug in return. "R-right, N-Naruto." The child stuttered, fiddling with her fingers and staring at her toes with a fond smile.

But Hinata's shy disposition was nothing new; it was to be expected in fact. "What about you guys? You look pretty rattled, something happen?" What was new was how on edge all three members of the tracking team seemed to have been, a little too jumpy for Pītā's liking.

Surprisingly, the insect user was the first to answer. "You could say that," he spoke, his voice muffled by the high collar of his coat.

The superhuman preteen furrowed his brow; he was being intentionally vague for some reason. "The forest happened, place is nothing but bad news." Kiba quickly cut in, echoing a sentiment most present agreed with him on.

As if he was expecting the tiny girl to talk, Pītā turned his attention towards Hinata. It was brief, surprisingly quick but not quick enough for someone with superhuman senses. The boy managed to catch her sparing a glance in the general direction of the Sand Siblings, more specifically Gaara of the Desert. He didn't mention it, didn't want to press her on it as she wasn't exactly the most outgoing and open person as it was. Instead, Pītā chose to stay silent on the matter.

But something must've happened in that forest, that much he was certain of. "What's wrong with Akamaru?" Sakura distracted him from his suspicion-filled musings, prompting him to take notice of something that'd completely slipped his mind.

Kiba's Ninja Hound, the white dog with black patches on his floppy ears, peeking his fuzzy head out from the boy's grey coat. "He's… not doing so well," the feral-looking child dourly explained, a frown lining his lips as he checked on his companion.

Sakura approached with her hand outstretched, Kiba let her give his best friend a comforting pet. "Oh, poor little guy." It was her turn to frown, feeling her heart rip in two as the tiny dog whined a little.

The animal was still trembling slightly, not even remotely responsive to the girl's gentle touch. Pītā felt sorry for the little pup too, something must've happened with Akamaru behaving the way he was. The dog was usually fearless by his master's side, even despite his insignificant size. Pītā loved dogs, he'd secretly always wanted his own but they didn't always love him back.

Akamaru was no exception; it must've been his different DNA. To everyone else, Pītā was human. He walked and talked like a human, he looked like a human but in reality, Pītā wasn't _fully_ human. He'd done the research himself, drawing blood and comparing it to that of his aunt's. She gave permission of course, that would've been weird otherwise.

Most of Pītā was human; it was the rest of him that had more in common with spiders than his fellow man. He figured that was why dogs had such a hard time trusting him, because he didn't smell human. He resembled something they knew, something they loved dearly but there was always something… off about him. The spider, the predator lurking within.

Aside from that small quirk, they were pretty good judges of character. So for something to set Akamaru off so fiercely, reducing the scrappy little critter to a mess of nerves, that was cause for concern. Lining up with Hinata's chance glances at Gaara, the fact that the boy in question didn't have so much of a scratch on him after such a relentless second phase, Pītā was surer and surer that something was up with the kid.

"So how soon did you guys get here?" Naruto's eager tone pierced the silence that had set in, showcasing his competitive streak.

He was a little bummed out that his team hadn't been the first to arrive, they hadn't even been the second or third. "Fairly soon, though we weren't the first ones here." Shino, the unlikeliest member of Team 8 to engage in small-talk, answered.

Sakura's emerald green orbs were led astray, scanning the surrounding room with interest. "Who made it here first?" She queried, admittedly curious herself.

Kiba refrained from pointing, though he would've done it to anyone else. "Those kids from the Sand Village," he didn't want to drop his team into a mess that wasn't theirs again, keeping his lack of manners under control for the time being.

Naruto didn't mind one bit, staring over at the short redheaded Shinobi and his two siblings quite blatantly. "You mean that Gaara guy? With the big thing on his back?" The scrappy blonde returned his attention to his fellow Leaf-nin, all the while cocking a thumb towards the foreigners.

Hinata piped up before anyone else could, though resisted the urge to raise her head and actually look at the boy. "Y-yes," she answered, her cheeks still glowing as Naruto hummed to himself.

"And those dudes over there, the scary looking ones dressed in green." Kiba added, enticing a compliant nod from his meek teammate.

Pītā didn't need to look to know just who he was talking about; he could practically feel their eyes burning into the back of his skull. "Can't say I'm surprised," he muttered, quiet enough to go unnoticed by most around him.

Except Kiba, the only other boy he knew with enhanced senses. "What's that supposed to mean?" The brown haired lad—hidden underneath that fur-lined hood of his—arched an eyebrow; he still had great canine-like hearing despite his sense of smell being much more powerful.

Pītā shrugged, feigning ignorance. "They look capable, that's all." It was the truth too, just not the whole truth.

Kiba was about to respond when Shino butted in, the black lenses of his sunglasses perfectly hiding the windows to his soul. "I'd wager they are," it was his turn to play coy on behalf of his teammates; they'd had their own close-call with the brutes from Suna.

The group of six was interrupted as Team 10 decided to finally join the conversation, having remained off in their own little group. "I'd wager everyone here is, that forest was a death-trap. Dangerous predators, crazy enemy ninja and worst of all—" Chōji Akimichi anxiously spoke up; his eyes squinted as he drew the attention of Team's 7 and 8 before someone cut him off.

Pītā knew where he was going and honestly, he couldn't blame him for it. "Nothing good to eat?" He tested, prompting a rapid nod of the head from the large framed lad.

"Exactly. I can't start my day right unless I'm eating my mom's cooking, how 'bout you?" Chōji explained his little ritual, waking up to a breakfast consisting of whatever he wanted to eat every single day.

His mother encouraged it and due to the Akimichi-Clan's trademark ability of converting calories into Chakra, she really had no reason to not let the kid eat to his heart's content. "My aunt's pancakes," the spider answered nonchalantly, missing a subtle roll of the eyes from Sakura.

Now Chōji's imaginative mind was running amok, dreaming up a stack of the treat drenched in syrup. "Ohhh, that's good too." The boy cooed, much to the humour of everyone present.

Tenten Tanaka of Team 3 pitched in, an unamused Neji Hyūga standing behind her as Lee shut his eyes and rejoiced in the youth of those present. "We're waiting to face the third phase of the exams and all you two can do is talk about food?" She joined the group, her hands resting on her hips as she grinned.

Shikamaru Nara spoke up on behalf of his larger than life teammate; he looked to have been almost falling asleep from all the waiting around he'd had to endure. "That's what you get with Chōji," the tactical genius listlessly remarked, his hands stuffed into his brown pants pockets.

" _He_ just talks," Sakura commented, cocking a thumb towards her masked motor-mouth teammate who simply held his hands up and shrugged in response.

Lee took a chance to place a hand on the girl's red garbed shoulder, closing his large round eyes and smiling down at her warmly. "It is good to see you in such high spirits, Sakura." The Taijutsu enthusiast voiced his relief, having taken a moment to calm down and collect his thoughts from when Sakura had first entered the room.

Sakura returned the smile with a dainty one of her own, he was genuine and she was grateful for it. "You too, Lee. How're your ears?" She made sure to check, the assault he'd suffered at the hands of Dosu hadn't been pretty.

The older lad in green spandex blushed, raising one of his bandage wrapped hands to rub against his ear. "Not bleeding," he gave a glinting grin, eliciting a giggle out of the pink haired Kunoichi.

The preteen nodded, happy he'd undergone such a speedy recovery. "That's a good sign," Sakura expressed her relief as Lee struggled to hold himself together around her, his knees weak as he simply felt blessed to have met such a soft spoken angel.

Pītā quietly scoffed, though pretended to clear his throat upon receiving 'the look' from the emerald eyed ninja. Lee had only interacted with one side of the girl, whilst _he'd_ experienced most sides she had to offer. The kid hadn't yet witnessed Sakura's flaring temper, something that'd most likely scar him for life.

Neji's firm tone sliced through the friendliness of the conversation like a hot knife through butter, folding his arms and directing quite the judgemental look towards the kid with spider-powers. "I was starting to think something had happened to you, we've been here since late last night." Apparently, the prodigy wasn't impressed with their late arrival.

Naruto dismissed the boy's cold stare, stretching before resting his arms behind his back. "We took it easy, so what?" The shortest boy there frowned; someone always had to rain on the parade.

Tenten shrugged, she also didn't see what the big deal was. "Not like they had to rush here, we're still waiting on the other candidates." She reminded her stoic teammate, though wasn't sure what good it would've done.

Neji had the uncanny ability to turn a good situation into a bad one, always thinking about the cons rather than the pros. "Provided they haven't been killed," it was a realistic possibility, just not one that most people wanted to hear.

Tenten frowned; he always had to be so negative. "Neji," she voiced her disapproval of his unflinching honesty, employing the use of a scolding tone as she spoke his name.

Pītā shook his head; the guy really was a buzzkill. "Such an optimist," he sarcastically mocked, echoing Tenten's thoughts on the matter.

Neji brushed off their objections to his attitude, not particularly caring about what was supposed to be 'appropriate'. "Better to be blunt and honest on this path in life, case in point, you're talking amongst yourselves as allies when that couldn't be farther from the truth. It never was, not really. Extraordinary circumstances forced us to work together, despite the rules stating otherwise." He challenged the group of Genin, eliciting raised eyebrows all around.

Naruto squinted, he'd barely been exposed to the older Hyūga but so far, he found him to be nothing like his soft spoken cousin. "Yeah, yeah… is there a point at the end of this?" The orange and blue clad child wasn't giving the more experienced ninja the time of day; rules weren't exactly a priority when more important things were at stake.

Neji bristled slightly; the raven haired teen didn't appreciate the flippancy he was being treated with. "My point is that who knows what the third phase has in store for us but we haven't technically been allies in the last two phases, so why would that change now?" He voiced the rhetorical question, much to the dismay of everyone present.

Because he was right and deep down, each and every single one of them new it. "Well aren't you just a big ole' beam of sunshine," Pītā responded the only way he knew how, cracking wise and not worrying too much about things.

Tenten on the other hand sighed, shaking her head full of brunette hair. "And things were going so well," she dourly murmured, finding Neji's analysis to be likely but not particularly looking forward to it.

Shino's calculated voice barged into the conversation, his nit-picky nature unable to find a fault in Neji's logic. "It's hard to disagree; this _is_ still a competition after all." He observed, earning a concurring nod from the stoic boy with the lavender tinted eyes.

Kiba let a toothy grin split his face, a little bit of that hard-headed confidence brewing inside of him. "Yeah, they don't hand out trophies for whiners. I don't have a problem fighting you guys; I have even less of a problem with winning." The very same hard-headed confidence which often got him and by extension, his teammates into trouble.

Something Hinata took note of, recalling their heart-stopping incident in the forest which had been entirely his fault. "Kiba, m-maybe you… maybe you shouldn't jump to conclusions." The purple haired heiress suggested, though her impossibly quiet voice was quickly drowned out.

One of the loudest individuals in Konoha joined in on the fun, teasing the canine-like boy. "Wouldn't wanna jinx yourself," Ino Yamanaka poked, enticing a growl out of Kiba.

Tenten followed up, she didn't know him anywhere near as well as the others but he seemed to be of the 'brawn before brains' variety. "Then you'd look like an idiot," she innocently peppered, as though she were giving him advice.

Of course, Pītā couldn't resist the chance to take a shot at him. "So no different than usual really," the spider dryly mocked, goading a few laughs all around.

Kiba shook his head as he took a step closer to his friend, taking the jab in stride. "Laugh it up, Pākā. I've been dying to take you on ever since we were pups," the boy boasted, a little bit of that canine influence bleeding into his vocabulary.

Pītā scoffed, responding in kind by closing the gap between them. "Akamaru would have more of a chance than you, fangs." He mocked, gesturing to the little Ninja Hound poking its fuzzy white head out of the boy's jacket.

Kiba gripped the front of Pītā's blue shirt, determination filling those predatory eyes of his as the collar of his coat was balled into the spider's tight fist. "Oh, I am so gonna enjoy kicking your—" The little stand-off—all in good fun of course—was interrupted as yet another voice entered the fray, snapping both kids' heads to the source of it.

"Boys, please… the testosterone is killing me." Yakumo Kurama quipped with a sly smile, gazing around at her fellow Leaf-nin and exchanging nods.

Sakura welcomed the girl with a kind smile, though couldn't help but notice that Sasuke Uchiha had elected to stay away from their social gathering. "We were wondering when you'd come over, Yakumo." Despite this, she kept her green eyes focused on the long haired brunette.

Yakumo wasn't exactly one for socializing, not to the insane degree of Sai Toriyama but she was still a little nervous around so many people. "Sorry, I didn't want things to be weird. Kinda hard to make small talk when what happened… happened, you know?" As such, she rarely spoke unless spoken to.

Unlike someone like Ino, who spoke even when she had nothing of importance to say. "Crazy's not exactly the word I'd use, things were insane." The pale blonde remembered the previous day's events very vividly; she doubted she'd ever forget them.

"So… crazy?" Shikamaru spoke up, calling the girl out as she'd essentially replaced one word with another that meant the exact same thing.

Ino raised her hand with her palm facing him, prompting the genius to blink momentarily. "Shikamaru, please, the women are talking." The young diva shushed him before returning to her conversation, leaving the boy to contemplate all the time he still had yet to spend with her.

Shikamaru sighed, bowing his head as he silently regretted ever signing up for the exams. "What a drag," the boy disdainfully muttered, turning to look at his best friend and receiving a shrug from the Akimichi-Clan member.

It didn't take long for both Kiba and Pītā to notice that Sai was standing right next to them, his eyes firmly shut as he silently smiled at them. "What the heck are you staring at?" Kiba let an annoyed growl escape his lips, getting a severe case of the creeps from the pale ninja.

Sai laughed, a very stiff and very… rehearsed laugh. "I was simply admiring the way you're embracing one another, clearly you two must be very good friends." He observed, absolutely perplexing both parties involved.

Pītā exchanged glances with the feral boy, both of them still gripping each other's shirts in an aggressive manner. "What about this looks even remotely friendly, Sai?" He elected to calmly ask, countering his friend's extremely abrasive attitude.

The dark haired painter held his hands up; waving them rapidly as he nervously chuckled. "Oh, my apologies. More than friends?" He corrected himself, completely oblivious to what he'd just implied.

Pītā blinked, Kiba suddenly wanted to throw up. "You wanna let go of each other now?" The former quietly asked, earning a rapt nod from the Inuzuka boy.

"And never speak of this again? Absolutely," Kiba added as they relinquished their grips, turning their backs on one another and leaving Sai to stand there all by his lonesome.

He rubbed the back of his neck; he never could quite get the hang of the whole 'mingle' thing. "Was it something I said?" Sai shrugged, asking the question to no-one in particular as no-one was really listening.

"So… how is he?" Back with Sakura, Ino and Yakumo, the former aired the question that was on most of their minds.

The Genjutsu user found herself sparing a look back over her shoulder, spying Sasuke leaning against one of the room's glossy wooden walls. "Fine, he's fine." She attempted to sway their concerns and as far as she knew, it was the truth.

Pītā had requested her to keep an eye on him and she'd kept true to her word, sticking to him like glue ever since yesterday. "Nothing else happen?" Ino chipped in, her usually loud and obnoxious tone taking a turn for the sombre.

Most likely because she cared about Sasuke but did not care for what'd he'd gone through, the haunting image of him covered in those glowing red marks alone enough to frighten her. "You mean since yesterday? No, nothing like that." Yakumo answered, skewing her brow as the two girls interrogated her.

She understood why of course, they were simply scared for the boy. "You aren't afraid of it happening again?" Sakura pressed, a little surprised by the brunette's pacific tone.

Yakumo shook her head, her faith in Sasuke remaining steadfast even despite recent events. "No, why would I be?" She answered their question with one of her own; one moment of sheer desperation did not mean he was going to explode at any given time.

Ino placed a hand on her developing waist, quirking one of her pale blonde eyebrows. "Maybe because it was mentally scarring?" She reminded the girl, some of that famed attitude returning to her voice.

Which only served to put Yakumo on the defensive, a frown lining her lips as Sakura nudged Ino's elbow. "Whatever happened to Sasuke wasn't his fault… you realize that, right?" She had to check, she wasn't about to blame her teammate for everything and she certainly didn't want anyone else to do so.

Now it was the Yamanaka girl's turn to get defensive, taking a step closer to the slightly taller Kunoichi without a hint of hesitation. "Just what're you trying to say?" She then had to be immediately held back by Sakura, still glaring daggers at Yakumo as she stood there stone-faced.

Sakura felt like she had to mediate things, Yakumo's patience with Ino wearing thin and Ino's temper flaring. "Of course we realize that, Yakumo. I was there for the whole thing, I saw what happened... all of it." She had the girl dead to rights there; she'd been protecting the Uchiha-heir while Yakumo had been unconscious the entire time.

And while she appreciated that, what she didn't appreciate was the lack of faith on display. "Then you should at least trust that he's not going to hurt anyone, he's just as confused as we all are." She affirmed before turning tail and strutting off, finding a quiet place to cool her head.

Yakumo knew full well that Sasuke had his issues; she knew he wasn't for everyone. But as far as she was concerned, he was the victim in this situation. He'd been targeted for reasons completely unknown to him or anybody else, he was the one suffering with that blasted thing burning away on his neck.

The last of her bloodline had to take a deep breath and gather her thoughts; she rarely ever got herself so worked up over anything. Ino on the other hand was a fireworks display with a very short fuse; she had the issue of always taking everything to heart. Sakura was the one who was conflicted, she'd been so enamoured with Sasuke for so long that she was having a hard time admitting that she couldn't trust him.

He was suffering, clearly. It wasn't his fault, she knew that. But at the end of the day, she was twelve and she was scared of what he could've done. Sakura didn't want to relive what had happened the previous day, not now and not ever.

The subject of the girl's thoughts had distanced himself from the rest of the Konoha ninja, Sasuke didn't particularly feel like making awkward small talk and in all honesty, wasn't sure just what he would've said to them anyway. Most of them probably felt they were due some kind of explanation, some kind of a definitive answer for just what went down a day prior.

The orphaned boy dressed in blue felt he didn't owe them anything, certainly not an apology for his actions. He'd just been trying to defend them, that was all. Though, he'd been toying with the possibility that he'd taken things just a smidge too far all night and all morning. He found himself constantly replaying the same question over and over again inside that head of his, locked in agonizingly complicated thought.

Had that really been him? Had he done those things to the Sound-nin? Or had the curse mark affected him so much that it'd lead him to snapping, almost to the point of lashing out at Pītā, a fellow Leaf Genin?

Sasuke countless questions without answers were put on the back burner as the sound of sandals clacking against the hard wooden floor distracted him, leading him to raise his head and find a slightly shorter boy staring up at him. "Naruto," the Uchiha-heir greeted in a less than welcoming tone, vacantly nodding at him.

Naruto was squinting up at him, arms folded and a seriously deep frown etched into his usual beaming mouth. "That's it? That's all you have to say? Just what the heck was that about yesterday?" The jinchūriki badgered, his loud tone grating on Sasuke.

It was something he just hadn't been able to get used to, even after so many years at the Academy together. "I'd rather not talk about it," he remained reserved, considering it a favour on his behalf that he was even entertaining the lad.

The notorious prankster huffed, a little tired of the run around he'd been receiving as of late. "Everyone keeps saying the same thing to me," he whined, earning an impatient sigh from the gloomy child before him.

Though he wondered why nobody had bothered to fill him in, he reasoned that they didn't have a clue as to what they were talking about. "Then maybe you should listen to them for once," Sasuke shortly advised, his brow furrowing slightly.

He was in no mood to talk, yet Naruto simply wasn't picking up any of his hints. "I'm out of the loop and I hate it," the orange and blue clad boy remained steadfast instead, a sour taste to his words.

Sasuke found himself shaking his head, tempted to move from his spot in order to leave the kid and the conversation behind. "I don't see how that's my problem, Naruto." He would have, had Naruto not blocked him off.

The preteen waved his arms about dramatically, like a child begging for their parents to listen to them. "I just wanna know what happened, what did that freaky snake lady do to you anyway?" Regardless of what the others felt, Naruto certainly felt like he was owed an explanation.

"You really think I have all the answers, don't you?" Sasuke pinched the bride of his pale nose, his already wafer thin patience threatening to crack and splinter at any second.

Naruto calmed down, he might have actually been getting somewhere. "No, not all of 'em. But you gotta have some of 'em though, right?" He shrugged, ceasing his compulsive squinting to fully open his eyes.

Stark black stared at ocean blue for a moment as Sasuke ultimately didn't see the harm in it, Naruto at least deserved to know something. "I guess," and even then, it was simply because of what he'd done when Orochimaru had attacked him.

Sasuke was having a hard time believing the annoyingly persistent kid in front of him was the very same one that had showcased such incredible bravery those days ago, it just didn't match. "So spit it out already! What was all that crazy Chakra yesterday?" Especially when all Naruto did was yell at him, just adding to the headache he was already fighting off.

Unfortunately, Naruto had been right. "I don't know," Sasuke didn't have all the answers, just a few.

Naruto quirked an eyebrow, literally learning nothing. "Why did this happen to you? Why not any of the other kids? Why not Pītā? Why not Neji? Why not Kiba or Hinata?" He pestered, goading Sasuke into giving him something, anything.

And yet, Sasuke continued to disappoint. "I don't know," he repeated himself, suddenly feeling more exhausted than when they'd started the conversation.

Conversation, it resembled more of an interrogation than anything else. "You don't know?" Naruto parroted, face contorted into a jumbled up expression of confusion and disbelief.

Sasuke shrugged; though inwardly realized just how little he did know. "I'd tell you if I did, Naruto." He found it troubling, just how in the dark he was and he'd been the one targeted for God's sake.

Naruto doubted that, nobody ever told him anything let alone Sasuke 'loner' Uchiha. "Why should I believe you?" He challenged, scepticism lacing his tone.

Sasuke stuffed his hands into his white shorts pockets; he was being genuine for once. "Because I have nothing to hide," he affirmed, only liars and cowards had something to hide.

Naruto stuck to his guns, he might've appeared gullible but he wasn't flat out stupid. "Says you," he disputed, prompting Sasuke to question his sanity.

He was stubborn, impossibly so but Sasuke could see that he just wanted to know what was going on. "The man that did this to me is named Orochimaru; I don't know the hows or the whys. You heard right by the way, it was a man, not a woman." So he threw him a lifeline, gave a name to the evil they'd faced in the forest.

Naruto tested out the unusual moniker, the corner of Sasuke's lips twitching for the briefest of moments. "Oro-chi-maru, Orochi-maru… Orochimaru? What kinda stupid name is that?" The boy queried quite brashly, his face contorted into a mess of bewilderment.

Sasuke managed to reassume his stoic disposition as he silently shrugged, the ghost of a smile he'd sported vanishing altogether. "There's something fishy going on here," Naruto pondered aloud, taking his sky blue eyes off of the Uchiha for a moment.

Judging by the folded arms and fist pushed against the bottom of his chin, Sasuke figured he was in deep thought. "I agree, for all the good it'll do. Now, is there anything else you'd like to yell at me about or are we done here?" The blue adorned Genin droned, eyes half-lidded as Naruto's attention snapped back to him.

He snapped his fingers, as if he'd just remembered something of importance or as if he'd just had some sort of stroke of genius. "Yeah, there is. Keep that weird Chakra under control or we're gonna have a problem," Naruto warned, puffing his chest out as much as he could as Sasuke blankly stared at him.

On the surface, he conveyed nothing. "Are you challenging me?" But inside, the boy was admittedly intrigued.

Back during their time in the Academy, Naruto hadn't been a particularly impressive or threatening student. He practically failed every challenge and test set before him, stumbling through one after the other like the village fool but… still never willing to just roll over and give up. Sasuke wouldn't have admitted it, he never would've owned up to it but the kid's persistence—his sheer determination—was admirable.

But that was all it had ever amounted to, mild admiration. An appreciation for his unwillingness to admit defeat, to know when to quit. That had changed in the forest, the dark woods that had bombarded their small lives with impossible dangers. For the first time ever, Sasuke had been impressed by Naruto. For the first time ever, Sasuke had been—dare he say—inspired by Naruto.

That grinning blonde fool had been the entire reason Sasuke had chosen to fight, not to flee, not to surrender but fight tooth and nail. He couldn't believe he was having such thoughts but in the end, he wasn't just obligated to honour Naruto's request of a fair fight. No, Sasuke _wanted_ to honour it.

"It's the Chūnin Exams! We're bound to have to fight each other sooner or later, I want a fair one." Naruto's abrasive yet jovial tone dragged Sasuke back out of his mind, kicking and screaming.

He didn't keep the bouncy ninja in suspense, mutely nodding before managing words. "A fair fight… I think I can do that," the brooding boy played it off, no matter how much he looked forward to their clash.

Naruto—taking Sasuke by surprise—fist pumped the air, beaming triumphantly. The orphan cleared his throat, prompting his eager company to blink owlishly before composing himself. Without a word, Naruto backed away from him all the while pointing his index and middle finger to his own eyes, before directing them at Sasuke.

Effectively miming that he was 'watching him', perplexing Sasuke all the more. "Idiot," though not enough for the emotional introvert to mutter the deadpan insult, left alone once more as Naruto blended back into the gaggle of Genin.

The overwhelming atmosphere of adolescent anxiousness, nervousness, fear and excitement in the room was punctured as the sound of the panel door scraping open silenced everyone present. It wasn't quiet or careful but purposefully loud, purposefully angry. Pītā's spider-sense pulsed through his skull, beckoning for him to turn his attention towards the door as the sound continued to assault his senses, like chalk screeching against a chalkboard.

All eyes were on the door as it ever so slowly slid open, revealing the sorry looking forms of Dosu, Zaku and Kin. The three clearly disgruntled Sound-nin all stood there for a moment, their eyes scanning the room and everyone in it before they finally deemed it wise to enter. Dosu kept his composure, passing by the spider without so much of a trace of fear.

That went both ways as Pītā blankly stared at the ninja wrapped in bandages, purposefully stepping in front of Sakura when she grabbed his hand and squeezed it. Evidently, she was still a little weary of the trio and rightly so too. The tense eye contact between the sound manipulator and the superhuman passed as Dosu moved on and if Pītā had heard right, quietly chuckled to himself.

Zaku on the other hand—wearing two makeshift slings after having his arms forced back into their sockets by Dosu—opted to glare daggers at the boy branded with the curse mark, which were returned in kind as Sasuke set his jaw and refused to avert his gaze in their little competition.

Pītā shook his head, quite frankly astonished at the kid. He didn't know whether he'd forgotten about what had happened to him the day prior or if he really did just have a death wish; though Kin was no better as she made the very deliberate choice of choosing him as her target instead of the Uchiha boy. Pītā stared back, subverting her intensity with a vague, half-lidded expression… not unlike that of his silver haired sensei.

In typical Pākā fashion, he would've winked at her just to set her off. He would have, though the five seconds of laughter wouldn't have been worth the following fight. Instead, he let her pass without incident, feeling the death grip Sakura had on his hand slowly loosen up. She was scared, he didn't blame her, he hadn't known what to expect either.

But just from looking at the quiet team, dragging their feet as they ventured off to find their own isolated corner of the room, they seemed just as exhausted as everyone else. One of them had half his limbs ripped out of their sockets, the other had been savagely beaten to a pulp and Kin… well, Kin had gotten off lightly in all fairness.

The room was silent; having been pulled into a lull by the enemy's sudden slogging arrival. The group of Leaf-nin weren't quite sure where to pick up; it was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Pītā didn't hear a pin drop though, his heartrate increasing moderately as a distinctly alarming sound filled his sensitive ears.

The sound of a voice calling his name, a voice he dreaded and would most likely always dread. "Pītā, a word." Mikio Goto calmly spoke, his tone strong enough to carry clear across the room without even needing to raise it into a shout.

Pītā immediately tensed up, frozen in place as his mind began to race with panicked thoughts. What was he supposed to do? Just walk over there and make nice? Get to know one another? More to the point, what could Mikio have possibly wanted with him? Why was he just calling him over out of the blue?

It was so out of character, obsessing over every little possibility, every little scenario as curious eyes scrutinized him like an ant underneath a microscope. The pair was staring at one another from across the room, locked in complete and utter silence as if any and all sound had been sucked right out of it. A vacuum, where nothing travelled, captured in a suspended instant of eternity.

Shino, Kiba and Hinata exchanged noticeably alarmed glances. What could the lumbering Sand-nin have possibly wanted with one of their own? Had they met before? They must have, he'd called Pītā directly by name. And the way Pītā was acting, Kiba narrowed his eyes before realizing that the smack-talking spider was sweating.

He couldn't believe it, Pītā Pākā was actually afraid.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything, boys and girls." Fortunately, all tension and silence was drained from the room, a slick feminine tone immediately dispelling the heavy air.

Yet another arrival stood in the empty door frame with her hands on her wide hips, a grin decorating her slightly tanned face as she addressed what was left of the candidates. "You don't remember me? Your sweet ole' Proctor-Anko? We enjoyed each other's company some days ago before I threw you into an unforgiving wilderness? Ah, good times." Anko prattled, sighing slightly as she fondly reminisced.

The room was completely silent, perplexed by the woman's off-kilter attitude. "Jeez, tough crowd." Anko had done such a good job of distracting everyone, that even Pītā and Mikio had been drawn out of their little staring match.

The trench coat wearing woman moved past the awkwardness she'd unintentionally created, transitioning to admittedly more important matters. "Anywho, no more waiting. This is it, moving onto the next big thing. So grab whatever stuff you've got lying around and let's get a move on," she had to remember that while unconventional, she was still in charge of these kids and still had to convey a certain sense of authority.

Even though that completely undermined her entire personality, considering she hated taking orders herself. Anko pressed her back to the wooden frame of the door, allowing more than enough room for the teams of Genin to file out. First to leave were the Sand Siblings, not exactly fighting for the right as everyone else simply watched them depart without a titter.

Just as Sasuke's team were about to leave the room, a trio of ninja came crashing through the door frame in a heap. All eyes were on the new team, full of perplexity and confusion. The cheeks of all three burned—two males and one female as was the usual tradition—embarrassment quickly setting in, leading both of the boys to speedily hop to their feet.

Leaving their teammate on the floor, which didn't look too good for them admittedly. "I'm so sorry… I… that was my fault, completely one hundred percent—" She profusely apologized, not only for herself but also taking the blame for that of her teammates.

"So embarrassing… stop grovelling on the floor and get up, Karin." The first one—the kid with the bandana—looked down on the girl with disdain, while Sasuke was looking down on her with… intrigue.

The Grass-nin's presence certainly surprised him; he really hadn't expected to see her again. "Karin?" He spoke her name, his tone doing a superb job at conveying the sheer disbelief he was feeling.

Especially given the way he and Yakumo had stumbled across her, all by herself and at the mercy of a larger than life beast. "Sasuke?" Karin mimicked the boy, countering his bewildered tone with one filled with relief.

Both Sakura and Ino exchanged puzzled glances, mouthing the words 'Karin' and 'Sasuke' to each other with an equal amount of cluelessness. Yakumo meanwhile was happy to see that the girl had put her good fortune to even greater use; she hadn't thrown in the towel, even after such a horrible experience with a bear. She'd conquered the forest just like they had, she was a winner no matter what came next.

The redhead let a genuinely glad smile form on those lips of hers, even as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Upsy-daisy, firecracker." Proctor-Anko hoisted the sorry looking lass off of her knees and onto her feet, having taken note of her fiery red hair with a cheeky nickname.

Karin managed to take her eyes—protected by the lenses of her glasses and sporting the same fierce colour as her hair—off of Sasuke for a moment, standing straight in an effort to appear presentable. "Sorry we're late, ma'am. We got lost, had to—had to… there was a complication!" She blurted, gazing up at the woman she remembered from the day they'd been sent out into the forest.

Proctor-Anko casually waved a hand, showing dazzling white as a small grin formed on her mouth. "I think you're the first person that's ever called me 'ma'am', kid. I don't know if I like it, feels a little weird. Anyway, doesn't matter how you got here, doesn't matter what you did to get here. What matters is that you're here now, you made the cut… barely." Their elder congratulated, though reminded all present that they were in fact pressed for time.

Karin surprised everyone present when she leaned forward, Sasuke being close enough to the girl to have to take a subtle step back as she graciously bowed. "Flattery will get you nowhere, red. Now come on, all this chatter's holding up the rest of your playmates." Anko shook her head as she gestured for the kids to get a move on, she didn't have time for honorifics and niceties after all.

It wasn't long before all groups fled the room, which had begun to resemble a rather large cell more than anything else as time trudged on. Finally, Kuentin, Saidai and Mikio approached the door. The former wore a smug smile as he casually strolled out of sight, a smile that was practically baiting Pītā. The kind of smile a person wore when talking about someone behind their back, leading to a narrow of the eyes from the spider.

The bald kid with electric blue eyes pointed a finger at Pītā, his thumb raised as he clicked his cheek before chuckling down the hallway. The brown haired ninja shook his head in disbelief; the guy had to have had a couple of screws loose. Last but certainly not least, the only one of the three to get an actual reaction out of Pītā, was Mikio.

The scorpion towered over Pītā, ensuring that he dwarfed Sakura and Naruto even more. "Some other time then, little spider." Mikio lamented through his dark green mask, just barely able to hold a burning hatred at bay with a well-spoken sentence.

He left without a word and it was only until he'd done so that Pītā realized he'd been holding his breath, just waiting for the guy to try something. Thankfully, the moment never came and Pītā was left exhaling in relief yet feeling all the worse for it. Just looking at Mikio made him feel weak in comparison, the spider to his scorpion. Pītā blinked, now he was starting to think like the deranged lunatic.

"Pītā, who _was_ that? Someone you met in the forest?" Sakura felt the need to ask, her pink eyebrows tied into a knot as she watched him run a haggard hand through his messy brown hair.

The predominantly blue dressed Shinobi didn't feel much like answering the question, not in great detail anyway. "Yep," he opted for the simplest answer, the correct one.

Naruto folded his arms; he wasn't particularly impressed by the stranger's intimidating stature. He'd seen bigger after all, Zabuza Momochi—the Demon of the Hidden Mist—immediately coming to mind. But the way Pītā had reacted, balling up one his glove wearing fists, sliding a leg back slightly for a little more leeway… it fuelled his curiosity.

"Friendly?" He followed up Sakura's query, finding it odd that his talkative teammate wasn't so talkative anymore.

Pītā felt like laughing at the word, 'friendly' certainly wasn't right. "No," it couldn't have been further from the truth, as the child so eloquently put.

Both Sakura and Naruto exchanged glances for a moment as Pītā left their side and headed to the exit, no joke? No witty one-liner? No biting commentary? Just a no, a straight-faced one word answer that only left the pair with even more questions. Questions that quite frankly piled on top of already existing enigmas, the whole 'Sasuke and Orochimaru' thing as well as the overly volatile Sound Team being chief among them.

"Glad to see you made it, kiddo. Never doubted you for a second," Anko greeted the approaching spider as he raised his head to meet her gaze, admittedly doing a pretty bang up job of hiding her joy.

Joy for the fact that he was safe, so she hadn't successfully resuscitated him for nothing but also just… genuinely happy to see the little squirt in one piece. "Ditto," Pītā gave a two fingered salute to the woman that had effectively saved his life, his mask doing all the work for him in disguising his smile.

He felt a hand ruffle his hair as he passed through the door frame, not bothering to even object to Anko's affectionate display. She didn't even hesitate, unable to hold herself back from letting the kid know that she'd been pulling for him. In fact, had his teammates not been present, she might've just bundled him up into a warm hug.

She wasn't one for hugging or any of that touchy-feely type stuff but as Anko accompanied the kid and his teammates to the next phase of the Chūnin Exams, she was beginning to understand just why Kakashi looked upon them so favourably. It was funny really, how cold and unflinching he was. Yet surrounded by these children, children he had no relation to and he took on the role of a reluctant father.

Maybe she was going through the same thing he was, maybe Anko was beginning to give a damn about something more than just her job and that sweet, sweet dango. Or maybe her curse mark was just driving her crazy, affecting her judgement and everything that came with it. In all honesty, she didn't care as she placed a proud hand on the boy's small yet sturdy shoulder.

He was a survivor after all, just like her.


	16. Stiff Competition

**Author's Note:** And the story continues.

Hey everyone, welcome back, it's been a while. I'm sorry about taking so long with keeping this story going but I had some real life issues to deal with that sort of put everything on hold, pretty heavy stuff actually. But it's all good now, I'm in a place where I can write and imagine all these cool things, it's good. Anyway, I hope you guys are still reading and I hope you enjoy the long overdue chapter. Cheers!

 **Disclaimer:** Spider-Man and all related characters are owned by Marvel and in turn, Disney. Naruto and all related characters are owned by Masashi Kishimoto, I own nothing.

* * *

 **Stiff Competition (Chūnin Exams Arc)**

It didn't take long for every successful candidate to make their way out of the cold stone waiting room and into… an even larger cold stone room, that was certainly the general theme of the tower at the centre of the Forest of Death. Though the room was less of a room and more of an arena, boasting an indoor battleground spanning over a hundred metres easy, and an upper level skirting around the edge of said battleground complete with rusted metal guardrails.

Most Genin stared in awe at the sheer scale of the place; dwarfing them completely and making them feel that much smaller than they already did. And then there was the odd bunch that didn't particularly care about their surroundings, didn't take the time to appreciate the flat concrete slabs they were marching across or the giant statue carved into the far end of the arena.

Pītā Pākā was part of that bunch, though through no fault of his own. "You don't have to walk with me, you know." The boy gazed up and off to his right, spying the purple haired woman that hadn't strayed from his side ever since collecting him and his team from the waiting room.

Anko Mitarashi side-eyed the lad, his blunt words reminding her of the fact that he was never afraid to speak his mind. "Getting sick of me already, sport?" She nudged his arm with her elbow, to which the spider arched his eyebrow.

Sometimes he wasn't sure whether Anko was supposed to be a proctor or a student herself, such was the way she carried herself. Pītā saw it immediately, how different she was from every other grown-up in his life. Not motherly or caring like his aunt, not stern yet aloof like his sensei and certainly not as wise or as worldly as the Third Hokage, the leader of the Hidden Leaf Village.

No, Anko was another breed altogether. Like a kid trapped in an adult's body, so full of life and energy. Maybe that was why it'd been so easy to talk to her, to connect with her. Anko didn't feel like a teacher or an elder, someone to seek out for advice or wisdom. The Tokubetsu-Jōnin felt more akin to a pal, more like a big sister than anything else.

Maybe it was because she was so much younger than the other Jōnin, maybe it was because she spoke Pītā's lingo with the constant trading of jokes, barbs and quips. Or maybe it was because of another reason entirely, a reason that eluded young Pītā and haunted Anko, kept her up at night.

Whatever the case, Pītā didn't feel the need to retain any sense of formality around her (not that he did much when in the presence of Kakashi-Sensei anyway). "No comment," the brown haired boy remarked in an off-handed manner.

Anko snorted, not bothering to hide or restrain her laugh out of fear of embarrassment which was something else Pītā found refreshing. "Cocky little punk… truth is, your sensei's been on my case about our little romp in the forest." She revealed, halting Pītā in his tracks.

The boy's deep brown eyes widened as he just barely managed to swallow a newly formed lump in his throat, causing Anko to have to jerk herself backwards too. "Orochimaru, he knows about Orochimaru?" Pītā questioned, a slight edge to his voice that Anko hadn't heard yet.

No humour or silliness, no bravery or cunning, no menace or anger. Just genuine concern and the tiniest trace of fear, fear for being rounded on by his usually calm sensei. And in all fairness, Anko couldn't blame him, not one bit. Kakashi wasn't one to lose his cool but when he was angry, he was furious. She'd experienced that fear the previous day, when she'd hobbled into the tower soaked in her own sweat and shame. The trench coat wearing Kunoichi had been dreading telling him about the trouble she'd gotten one of his students into and she was fully prepared for the man to raise his dull voice, lecturing her about just how irresponsible and dim-witted she was.

Though she'd been met with pleasant surprise when that moment never came, the silver haired fox had most likely taken pity on her given the sorry looking state she was in. "Had to tell him, kiddo. This issue's far bigger than you and I now; lying would've only made things a thousand times worse." She'd managed to convince Kakashi to cut the boy some slack anyway; he had saved her bacon after all.

Hopefully he kept his word and wasn't simply telling her what she wanted to hear, that would've been a dirty trick on his part. "How'd he take it?" Pītā squeaked up, once again reminding Anko that despite his great power, he was still just a kid.

She grinned, her hand finding his shoulder as a subtle form of encouragement. "Pretty well, all things considered." She told him, which wasn't far from the truth actually.

The copy-nin had been gracious enough to hear her out before resorting to anger, jumping to conclusions. "He wasn't mad? I'd be mad," Pītā whispered that last part, something he doubted would change if he ever grew up to lead his own team of rookies.

"I'm a bit of a sweet talker if you haven't noticed, took most of the heat for you." Again flashing those pearly whites of hers, Anko stuffed her hands into her trench coat pockets.

Pītā wasn't really sure what to say, except for the most straightforward and appropriate response. "Thanks, proctor. Guess I owe you one, huh?" He mustered a somewhat relieved smile alongside his gratitude, hidden beneath the dark blue fabric of the mask covering his jaw.

The woman held a hand up in objection, shaking her head with an amused smile. "As soon as you made it into this tower with those scrolls, I stopped being your proctor. Right now, it's just plain ole' Anko. And as far as I'm concerned, I was just trying to repay the debt I owe you." The smile shrank as she spoke, not disappearing completely but greatly reducing on account of the memories swirling around in her head.

Things had seemed so dire in that forest, so hopeful for the briefest of moments but then so dire. Anko seriously doubted she'd ever forget it, the feeling of his limp body in her arms, pale and unmoving. She'd seen people die before, it all came part and parcel with the life of a ninja. But she'd never felt so responsible for it before, she'd never been the deciding factor between life and death.

She'd quietly made the decision back in the forest, in the sombre time it took for him to wake up, that she'd never tell him that his heart had stopped for a few minutes. He was twelve; she wasn't sure how he'd take such news. Maybe when he was older, provided he lived that long given the way he threw himself headfirst into danger, maybe then she'd gloat that she saved his life once and they could look back and laugh about it.

But until that point, ignorance was bliss.

Pītā was the one shaking his head this time, refusing to accept anything more from the woman. "There's no debt, you'd have done the same for me so let's just… put it out of our minds, huh?" He suggested, not exactly eager to look back on what had taken place in those dim twilight hours surrounded by nature.

Anko heartily concurred, the smile re-emerging on her lips. "Wouldn't have it any other way, half-pint." She assured him, before her attention was drawn by one of the many subjects of their conversation.

Kakashi Hatake stood at the far end of the vast stone arena, hands stuffed securely into his pants pockets as he stared directly at the pair. "Ah… your teacher's doing that thing he always does," the only reason Anko managed to spot him from such a distance was through her training, trackers had to have excellent sight as well as hearing after all.

Pītā saw him as clear as day too, though with the aid of his superhuman senses and without the sheer natural talent of the woman next to him. "What does he always do?" He pestered, unclear as to what Anko meant.

"Judges me," the boy heard a self-congratulatory laugh escape her throat before he felt a departing pat on his shoulder, Anko left him to his own devices as she heeded the mute call of the beckoning Jōnin.

Even though the second phase of the Chūnin Exams was officially over and she was no longer the acting proctor, Anko still had her duties to carry out and chatting it up with spider-boy wasn't one of them. It was weird, she couldn't deny it, wouldn't even try to. But she felt… invested, was that the right word?

After breathing new life back into the little guy in the forest (literally), Anko felt compelled to check up on him from that point on. She wasn't sure whether it was her sense of duty, wanting to make it up to Kakashi or hell, maybe both. But a part of her just wanted to know if he was okay, whether he'd made it or not, just for her own piece of mind.

The lad in dark blue (missing much of his red thanks to discarding his flak jacket back in the forest) scratched the back of his head, showcasing a slight arch of the brow as Anko made her way to her fellow Jōnin. "That is one strange chick," he muttered, before catching wind of the tell-tale sound of footsteps behind him.

Pītā span around, finding the oh so familiar sight of Naruto Uzumaki and Sakura Haruno right in front of him. "Hey, besties." He greeted with a silly voice and a smirk, drawing a grin from the former and a half-hearted smile from the latter.

Naruto was always eager to join in on the fun; he was no stranger to goofiness. "What did Proctor-Anko say? Anything about what's to come?" Sakura on the other hand, couldn't fully let go of her worrying nature.

It wasn't her fault, of course it wasn't, and Pītā figured she rarely knew when she was doing it. "Not really, she did give me a piece of advice though." The boy shrugged, watching as both rookies perked up with sudden interest.

"Really? What'd she say?" Naruto badgered, chomping at the bit for the chance to have some kind of advantage over the competition.

Even Sakura was all ears, Proctor-Anko was a Tokubetsu-Jōnin after all; they didn't just hand out that rank to any average ninja. "Swimming on a full stomach is a good way to get cramps," Pītā mocked, keeping a completely straight face throughout the small rib.

Naruto frowned and Sakura bristled, both of them finding it extremely difficult to laugh at their teammate's attempt at humour given their tense circumstances. "Come on, dude!" The messy haired blonde called out, letting go of some pent up frustration as Pītā's straight face cracked beneath the mask.

Sakura on the other hand wasn't as loud or as bombastic, she doubted anybody could top Naruto in those departments. "You just can't help yourself, can you?" Instead, she plainly posed the question to her superhuman friend, too exhausted and wound up to be angry at him.

Pītā refrained from laughing; he didn't want to make things worse. "Bait and switch, never gets old." He did manage to gloat though, sometimes finding the pair a little too gullible for their own good.

Come on, they'd known each other since those early years at the Academy, had been teammates for months now, they really should've wised up to his antics at this point. The two preteens trudged past the resident jester, a volatile mix of annoyance and anxiousness present on their childish faces. Annoyance for their friend's poor timing and anxiousness for their immediate future, they had no idea what was going to happen now that they'd completed the second phase and that scared them.

Naruto wouldn't have admitted it, neither would Sakura voluntarily. But they both felt it, fear of the unknown, especially if things were even half as bad as the gruelling time they'd spent in the forest. Like running a never-ending gauntlet, brand new dangers around every corner, each far deadlier than the last. It was taxing, trying. And one night of rest hadn't completely recharged their batteries; they were only human after all.

Worse than that, they were only children.

* * *

The competing Genin were naturally drawn to the far side of the arena, spying their elders and the architects of the exam in a large ceremony-like gathering. Two rows of four Chūnin stood at the forefront, a little higher than the kids on account of a raised stone platform, a dull olive green in colour. The only ninja among them the rookies were familiar with was Iruka Umino, their old sensei from their Academy days.

The children of the Leaf read his expression as a mixture of pride and sadness, pride for how far each and every one of them had come, how hard they'd fought for the opportunity to achieve the rank of Chūnin. And then there was the sadness, not in the smile but in the eyes. It suddenly dawned on Iruka that at the end of the competition, whenever that day would come, one of his old students might have been promoted.

Hell, several of them might've moved up in the ranks. Or if he was being pessimistic, none of them at all, there was always the next set of exams. But just the thought of one of his kids—one of his _former_ kids—becoming his colleague, his equal… he wasn't sure what to make of it. He'd have been happy for them, of course he would have. But then he'd have to force himself to stop seeing them as kids and start seeing them as ninja, something he was already having a hard time managing. Iruka swallowed as he stared down at their battered and bruised faces, covered in dirt and smeared with the green stains of fresh forest grass.

In the end, it wasn't up to him. It was easier that way and he was grateful for that, truly. Because he didn't think he had the strength to let them go, let them grow up just yet. The man had to close his eyes and shake his head momentarily, he was far too sentimental. Iruka had grown too fond of the children under his tutelage, it honestly baffled him how Kakashi, Asuma, Kurenai and Genma could stay so detached, so objective.

He had to mentally chastise himself, it was their day and he was making it about him. No, Iruka was proud of his old students and he was optimistic about their future as ninja of the Hidden Leaf. He'd decided, he'd welcome the day he got to greet one of them as his peer, his ally. He had plenty more students to teach as each generation of children entered the Academy, he was ready for more friends.

Stood amongst the four Chūnin were the two proctors of the exams thus far, Ibiki Morino and Anko Mitarashi. To the former, the event was business as usual. The commanding officer of the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force was surprised that so many participants made it through the phase he oversaw, the written exam. That shock was taken to a whole new level when Anko promised that the forest would've broken most of them, yet a little under thirty Genin stood before him.

He side-eyed the woman, curiously a good deal perkier than he was. Considering her earlier predictions had been blown right out of the water, she didn't look even a smidge disappointed. Strange girl, Ibiki mused. She was overbearing, a little annoying and sometimes too extreme in her methods, even for him. But strange, that was the best he could think of to sum her up in one simple word.

The subject of the interrogator's thoughts rocked back and forth on the heels of her sandals, looking over the many kids that had tackled her test and lived to tell the tale. She was a little stumped, admittedly. Anko knew that she had a few tough tykes in the ranks but she never expected so many to pass, let alone one of them without so much as a scratch.

Anko's pale brown eyes couldn't help but be drawn to the small redheaded child; his arms constantly folded the few times she'd laid eyes on him. Her memory wasn't too great, she wagered she'd forgotten more things than she'd learned but thinking back, she was sure his name was Gaara. Gaara, Gaara, Gaara… that name was important for some reason.

A non-existent lightbulb pinged on over Anko's head of thick purple hair, Gaara and his team were the children of the Kazekage, the leader of their allying village to the South West, Sunagakure. She was a little relieved he and his siblings had made it; even despite taking part in a lethal contest and signing a legally binding waiver, their deaths could've sparked an international incident.

Still, making it through all that danger, all of that unknown territory, all of those enemy ninja… completely unmarked? It didn't sit right with the snake-user, her brow furrowing as she scanned the boy, desperately searching for some sign of a skirmish. Torn clothes, dirt, his own blood, the blood of others, anything.

But alas, she found nothing and that simply confused her. The exams had a literal superhuman competing, courtesy of their very own village and even he had been smacked around. So what was the deal with the pale kid? Had he avoided confrontation altogether? Employed the use of some secret technique or weapon? And why did he carry a gourd on his back everywhere he went?

Questions upon questions continued to mount up in Anko's mind, questions that weren't going to be answered just yet. And that drove the eccentric woman crazy, frustrated her to no end. It was so glaring; even his siblings showcased some evidence of a fight with their slightly dusted up clothes and unwashed faces. Obsessing over something she didn't know the answer to was a complete waste of time so for the time being, she had to force herself past it and move on.

Stood between the two Tokubetsu-Jōnin, being dwarfed by the unusually tall Ibiki, was the most powerful man in the Leaf. Hiruzen Sarutobi, the village's Third and acting Hokage, elected to stay silent as the newest generation of Genin shuffled around awkwardly before him. It was amusing really, how they could perform such incredible feats and acts yet have so much trouble standing still. Children, full of boundless energy and just waiting for the opportunity to prove themselves.

It was hard to believe but he'd been in their shoes, once upon a time. That was decades ago, when everything seemed so bright and hopeful and not… tiring. With his liver-spotted hands firmly clasped together behind his back, Hiruzen was patient enough for them to get into position. At certain ceremony events, such as the graduation the rookies experienced some months back, it was customary for a team to stand in a line, one member standing in front of the other, often spearheaded by their sensei.

Given that each and every sensei, all eleven of them in this case, were standing far behind him, the kids subconsciously picked their team's unofficial leader. Whichever one of them felt bold and competent enough to take charge when the grown-ups weren't around, that sort of thing. The children lined up, eleven rows of three, side by side even after they'd just spent the last several days at each other's throats.

He saw a few familiar faces at the front of each team, some taking the position willingly and some reluctantly. The talented and stoic Neji Hyūga for Team 3, the witty yet powerful Pītā Pākā for Team 7, the brash and overconfident Kiba Inuzuka for Team 8, the skilled and driven Sasuke Uchiha for Team 9, and the motivated yet forceful Ino Yamanaka for Team 10.

And they were only the faces he was able to match names to, having watched them grow up since their early Academy days. The visiting ninja were strangers to him, commendable strangers for taking part in such a gruelling string of trials but strangers nonetheless. Except for his counterpart's children, couldn't forget the kids hailing from the Sand Village.

As stated earlier, each of the teams' sensei were stood right at the back of this little gathering of adults. Kakashi Hatake, Kurenai Yūhi, Asuma Sarutobi, Genma Shiranui and Might Guy of Konoha. The visiting elite ninja consisted of Baki and Arisutā Sumai of Sunagakure, Onpa and Yumi of Otogakure, Kōjō of Kusagakure and lastly, Jōki of Yugakure.

Their minds ran rampant as they finally laid eyes on their students, taking in their sorry-looking forms after almost five days. Kakashi was struggling to resist the urge to march right past the Hokage in order to give the young spider he mentored a stern talking to, though his sense of duty and the promise he'd made to Anko helped temper his frustration with the lad.

Anko had convinced him to ease up, to not be so hard on the boy for something she'd pulled him into. Kakashi half believed that, he half didn't. Pītā was a lot of things; the copy-nin had been learning that ever since being tasked with guiding his future. But there was one thing he wasn't, to put it simply… a follower.

Pītā wasn't one to do anything unless he wanted to, he wasn't one to be pressured or forced into doing anything against his wishes. When he acted, it was absolutely of his own volition. Kakashi had already figured that the boy's sense of right and wrong had led him into trouble, refusing to turn a blind eye while Anko was in danger.

It was hard to stay mad at something so admirable but Kakashi knew that if he wasn't careful, that strong sense of justice would kill him some day.

Seeing past the ragged superhuman, who was missing his flak jacket for some unknown reason, Kakashi set his sights on the only girl of his little team. The first thing that immediately caught his attention was her hair or rather, the lack of it. Sakura had flowing pink hair, reaching down to the small of her back while this girl did not.

Her hair was short, hastily cut off and not even reaching her shoulders. Something had happened, he was sure of it. There was no way on God's green Earth that Sakura would've willingly cut her hair, not unless she was forced to. Kakashi remembered having a small chat about it with her; he recalled as clear as day the sheer reluctance on her face when he even suggested the notion of shortening it.

The girl's hair was almost enough to draw attention away from the barely noticeable swollen eye, almost but not quite. She'd been in quite a scrap and while fighting was expected in a competition such as the Chūnin Exams, Sakura was not a physical fighter. She always kept her distance, always employed the use of alternate tactics while Pītā and Naruto picked up the slack offensively.

Again, he came to the conclusion that she'd been forced into a tight spot. Instincts had kicked in, her adrenaline pumping throughout her yet to develop body, the reflexive choice between fight or flight narrowing by the second. The corners of Kakashi's lips twitched upwards as the thought of her balling her adolescent fists and picking the former flashed into his head, she'd come quite a ways since he'd met her.

And then there was the boy bringing up the rear, the shortest of his squad and as ever, the most impatient. Naruto squinted his eyes, folded his arms and wondered what the hold-up was. Kakashi shook his head, he'd taken part in a physically demanding assault course designed to test Genin to their absolute limits and all he cared about was… what came next.

One of a kind, truly.

The woman next to the one-eyed Jōnin, with her piercing red eyes and untameable black hair, bit her crimson painted lip. Kurenai had been having second thoughts about the whole exam thing ever since she'd submitted her own team for consideration, doubts and worries and what ifs swarming her mind. In the days since, she'd been pacing back and forth in the tower, surrounded by her fellow Jōnin, all coping with the waiting in their own unique way.

Kurenai couldn't help but worry, it was simply in her nature. Asuma had always said that she was too caring for their profession, too… motherly. She hadn't known whether to take that as a compliment or to smack him upside the head for deeming her unfit, a tough decision really. Her kids had been adamant about the exams, about tackling them head on and proving just how much better they were than every other rookie.

'Kids' being… well, just Kiba. He'd hounded her for weeks, day and night about the possibility of competing. Kurenai believed that they weren't ready for it yet but that boy, he was relentless. It didn't help that Shino Aburame barely said two words and Hinata Hyūga being the gentle soul she was, failed to speak up and give her thoughts on the matter.

They really had to work at that, team communication. At the present moment, even then as she stared at Kiba front and centre ahead of his team, the dog-user held the most sway. She supposed it was only natural, a boy as loud and as cocksure as him was bound to drown out the voices of two of the quietest individuals she'd ever met.

But they must have done something right; they'd made it after all. Her squad had even reached the tower before any of the other Leaf-teams; she'd been surprised to hear. They looked to have been in decent shape too, their clothes were dirtied and stained with the Earth but other than that, no visible injuries. Kurenai's fears had largely been quashed, though she was curious as to why Akamaru was hiding inside Kiba's coat and not underneath his hood, like he always did.

In fact, upon closer inspection, the miniature canine seemed to have been quivering against Kiba's chest. Something had spooked him, the poor little guy. Kurenai made it a point to talk to them about it as soon as she was able; she'd never seen the pup so frightened and that troubled her. Just what had he seen?

Asuma Sarutobi, the only sensei smoking on the job, seemed fairly pleased with his kids' performance. The son of the Third Hokage eyed them from afar, his underperforming team having… well, performed admirably for once. It had taken quite a bit of work to even get them to agree to take part in the test, all three of them showcasing everything from apprehension to flat out refusal.

Shikamaru Nara had been less than thrilled about doing anything that required even absolutely minimal effort, groaning when Asuma had broached the subject of taking part with him. Though, he was more open to the topic over a game of shogi. Ino Yamanaka hadn't been interested at all; it was only when he'd informed her that both Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno were participating did she do a complete one eighty in her attitude.

Chōji Akimichi had been the most difficult to deal with, he'd simply been afraid of what exactly the exams entailed. It was astonishing how far a little bit of encouragement and a lot of food went, Asuma had bribed him by taking him to his favourite restaurant, Yakiniku Q. Sure, it might have been a bit underhanded but how was his team supposed to accomplish anything if they weren't even willing to try in the first place?

To Asuma's right stood Genma, one of the most laidback Jōnin in the Leaf Village, a little quippy when he was in the right mood. Alas, he hadn't been in that sort of light-hearted mind-set ever since he'd heard the news. That one of his students had fallen prey to a vicious predatory ninja, a ninja that shouldn't have even been in the country let alone their village.

Yet there they were, having to deal with the fact that Orochimaru, an S-Rank missing-nin, was roaming free in their little competition. Genma would've laughed if he hadn't been so worked up; even the term 'S-Rank' didn't seem to do the snake justice. He was one of the most notorious criminals in Konoha's long and winding history; S-Rank seemed like a huge understatement.

Though, some of the Shinobi's fears had been dampened upon learning that Sasuke had indeed survived the ordeal. Genma was so focused on the raven haired lad before him that he failed to notice the fact that he'd chewed right through the toothpick in his mouth, the two gnawed pieces of wafer thin wood succumbing to gravity as they fell without a sound.

Despite appearing no worse for wear, Genma noticed the boy hold his neck every now and then, catching sight of a concerned Yakumo Kurama peaking over his shoulder. He didn't blame her; he'd heard nothing but bad things from Anko pertaining to the Heaven's Curse Mark. Having said that, Genma was faced with a bit of an internal struggle.

He wasn't sure whether he should've been afraid for the boy or downright proud of him, being strong enough to survive the process was an incredible feat on its own. Just as Anko had done several years prior, Sasuke had managed to defy the overwhelming odds stacked against him (one in ten) as well as making it to the tower with both scrolls.

Tough choice, Genma felt as though he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. But in the end, as the boy's sensei, he decided that the best course of action was to encourage his strength, celebrate his bravery. Not just Sasuke but his teammates too, they'd displayed tremendous potential triumphing over the trials of the exams and Genma was going to make sure they knew it.

The last of the Konoha Jōnin had the simplest feelings on the matter; Guy was overflowing with joy as he raised his hand in front of his face and balled it into an impossibly tight fist. His team had made it, after holding them back the previous year over concerns that they weren't ready, his squad finally had the chance to move up in the ranks and prove their skills among their peers.

The man clad in the green spandex jumpsuit, sporting that instantly recognizable bowl haircut, wanted to exclaim how proud he was to the heavens. He could barely contain himself, a stark contrast to his long-time rival, the ever cool Kakashi. The man in question, stood directly to his left, simply stared ahead. Just as he always did, with his lone exposed eye half-lidded and hands stuffed into his pants pockets.

How did he do it? How was it so effortless for him? Sometimes Guy just wanted to grab his friend by the shoulders and shake the cool out of him, perhaps that would've gotten a reaction out of his emotionally detached demeanour. But Guy was getting off-track, letting his rivalry with Kakashi syphon his attention away from his kids.

Neji was just as stoic as he always was, the tribulations he'd faced in the forest apparently hadn't fazed him one bit. The lilac eyed boy was a Hyūga-Clan prodigy; Guy had let him hone his tremendous skills over the past year in order to ready himself for this day. However, if the rather over the top teacher was being honest with himself, he didn't doubt that Neji would've been able to compete the previous year too. He was just that good, a cut above both of his teammates in virtually every field.

Except Bukijutsu, the field of weaponry. Guy had yet to meet anyone, a seasoned veteran or a first-time rookie, that could best his only female pupil in that regard. Tenten Tanaka was unparalleled in her use of weapons, tools, blades and explosives alike. He'd guided the young brunette and encouraged her to fine tune her marksmanship skills, pushing Tenten to the point that she could hit one hundred out of one hundred possible targets without fail.

But strength in one specific field could only get a ninja so far, which put Tenten in the same boat as Rock Lee. The boy clad in green spandex, sporting a shiny black bowl haircut just like his sensei, was good with his fists. When it came to Taijutsu, Guy had taught Lee everything he knew. His unorthodox methods of attack, his unique fighting styles that had the enemy guessing at every turn and his unbelievably gruelling training regiments.

All of which would have broken the average ninja, but Lee was no average ninja. He'd taken to Guy's teachings like ink to paper, all too well in fact. His conviction and determination never failed to bring Guy to tears, because there was nothing wrong with a man that showed a little bit of emotion. Unlike Kakashi, Guy mentally noted.

His team, truly they were overflowing with the power of youth.

All Jōnin present, visiting and home-grown alike were shook from their thoughts and dragged back to reality by the amplified sound of Anko's smooth voice, ricocheting off of the stone walls on account of the small microphone she'd put on. "Congratulations are in order, kids. You passed the second phase of the exams with flying colours, give yourselves a big pat on the back and take a look around… you're all that's left." She ignored the annoyed glances she was receiving from her colleagues, grinning through the assault on their senses.

The children were far enough away that they were left unaffected, sans Pītā of course on account of his enhanced hearing. The spider blinked, reaching up momentarily to wiggle a finger in his ear. It went unnoticed by most around him, most being the key word. Dosu Kinuta's curiosity peaked as an inherent weakness revealed itself, it seemed he and the acrobatic boy had something in common after all.

After Anko's echoing voice died down, the examinees heeded her advice and cautiously gazed around at the competition on all sides. Most eyes fell on Sasuke, the Uchiha prodigy holding his neck in slight discomfort. Naruto arched an eyebrow his way as if he was still trying to figure him out while Sakura, Yakumo and Ino appeared concerned for his well-being. They'd seen what happened to him, the brief yet terrifying transformation he underwent in the darkness of the forest.

It was that dreaded curse mark, poisoning him from the inside out no doubt. Neji also found him to be of most interest, those large lilac coloured eyes narrowed as they scanned Sasuke with growing suspicion. Karin Fujita was too busy ogling him, her vibrant crimson eyes glazed over as though she was in some kind of lovesick stupor. An elbow from one of her teammates quickly saw to that, almost causing her to fall over out of sheer embarrassment as Sasuke casually turned to look at her.

Kiba and Shino chanced a coy glance Gaara's way, the latter using his sunglasses to his advantage as he hid behind the darkened lenses. The short, pale redhead of the desert felt the eyes on him though he didn't particularly care, paying it no mind as he continued to face front with his arms folded. Hinata took the opportunity to shyly peak at Naruto, who was holding his hands behind his head, apparently fed up with all the waiting around.

Pītā felt eyes burning into his skull, gazing off to his right to find Mikio Goto and Kuentin Bekku staring at him at the far end of the line, a white hot hatred flaring in the former's eyes while the latter's offered a passive contempt. Saidai Diron was a little too preoccupied mouthing the words 'I love you' to Gaara's sister, Temari. To say she was a little creeped out would've been an understatement, more than willing to switch places with Kankurō, who met his fellow Sand-nin with a fierce scowl, apparently much more protective of his sister than his younger brother was.

Zaku Abumi had his petty black eyes fixed on the boy that had broken both his arms, the painful experience having failed in humbling him. Dosu elected to forgo the Uchiha-heir, instead focusing on the ninja that had most impressed him during his time in the Leaf. Pītā didn't shy away, narrowing those brown doe eyes of his to send a very clear message; he wasn't one to back down no matter what.

Sakura was a different story, fidgeting in place as Kin Tsuchi glared daggers at her. Unfinished business, Sakura dourly mulled. She'd stood up to them all by herself and it seemed to have rubbed them the wrong way, rubbed _her_ the wrong way. They weren't used to it, the resistance and opposition; they must have thought it would've been easy. That she would've fallen to her knees and accepted her fate, oh how wrong they'd been.

Flicking her emerald green eyes up from the cold stone floor, Sakura found her team's unofficial leader looking back at her. He was smiling beneath that mask of his, she could tell, she could always tell. Drawing her insecure thoughts away from the intimidating enemy eyes on her, Pītā offered her a wink.

It was just a small wink, before he broke eye contact and faced front once again. But that was all that was needed, a tiny morsel of encouragement to bring a bit of hope to Sakura's face, smiling through the dirt and grime, even despite her swollen eye. She wasn't going to let anything discourage her, not after how far she'd gotten, not after everything she'd been through.

Lee on the other hand, was too busy dividing his round eyed attention between most participants, marvelling at the challenge each one would present. He had no idea there were so many strong and talented ninja in his own village, many of them younger than he was. He'd already assessed Sasuke during sign up, before the first phase of the exams. Though, the initial encounter had left a lot to be desired.

In terms of sheer physicality, Lee easily outclassed him. It wasn't until the event in the Forest of Death did he showcase some unknown power, emitting an almost demonic Chakra that froze everyone in their tracks. Everyone, except for…

Lee's charcoal black eyes directed their attention to the boy leading Team 7, the brunette he'd barely spoken to but who's name did not escape him. Just as Pītā had said to him the day prior, when all was said and done, they didn't know each other. But he had tried his best to protect Sakura and Pītā had somehow led his teammates directly to him, inadvertently lending a helping hand to one another. Even despite not knowing him, Lee gathered just by meeting him alone that he was all bark but unlike some people, had more than enough bite to back it up.

But no matter how many potential rivals he encountered, Lee's overactive mind always circled back to one boy. That boy happened to have been leading his team, stood at the front with his arms folded and a stoic, almost annoyed expression on his pale face. Ultimately, Neji was the goal for young Lee. The prodigy had always been the goal and he did nothing to hide it either, constantly declaring to him that one day, he'd surpass him. Lee wasn't sure when that day would come but it _would_ come, that was all that mattered.

Anko watched quietly, one hand resting on her curvy hip as a smirk crept its way onto her lips. "Eyes front, kids. The Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village would like to address you so pay attention and if you value your life, do _not_ interrupt him." She warned, making it a priority to stare down each and every visiting ninja.

She was trying to scare them, the Leaf kids knew their Hokage was powerful but also kind, understanding and above all, patient. The candidates from abroad, some distant and some neighbouring lands, did not and it was a good way to keep them in line. She handed off the 'stage' to the man in question, decked out in the traditional red and white garb the leader of their village historically sported.

He nodded, his wise eyes hidden beneath the shadow his headpiece cast over his face as he wordlessly thanked her. Slight amusement pulled at the very corners of his lips, he couldn't imagine exploding on someone for the simple act of interrupting him. Perhaps when he was younger, when he wasn't stretched so thin. Regardless, the scare tactic had worked for the most part, faces he didn't know offering him their unwavering attention while he offered a coy wink to faces he'd watched grow up.

Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, Hiruzen cleared his throat. "Echoing your proctor's sentiment, I too would like to congratulate you on a job well done. Students and foreign ninja alike, you've done your villages and their people proud to make it this far. The end is within your grasp, the third and final phase of the exams are about to begin. Allow me to entail what you'll be facing—" Before the elderly man could finish his statement, a previously unseen Shinobi stepped forward and if interrupting Hiruzen wasn't bad enough, the guy was suffering from some kind of coughing fit whilst doing it.

All eyes were rather awkwardly on him, a guy who appeared to have been in his early twenties hacking up a storm as though he were well into the twilight of his life. Either that or he was a heavy smoker, though Asuma was rarely seen without a cigarette perched between his lips and he seemed fine… on the outside at least.

"Hayate, I thought I told you to have that cough checked out." Hiruzen, who'd been a little caught off-guard by the sudden intrusion, composed himself and greeted the ninja with a fond albeit concerned tone.

Hayate Gekkō gave a curt nod of the head, a brief show of respect to his superior, even through the somewhat laboured coughing. "I've visited… three different—ahem—doctors, still no diagnosis." He offered a drab smile as he powered through the sentence, his tired eyes half-lidded as the odd affliction subsided for the time being.

Anko took a rather blatantly visible step back; the purple haired Kunoichi didn't even bother trying to hide it. "Better not be contagious," she muttered, arching an eyebrow at her ally.

A Tokubetsu Jōnin just like her, except Hayate appeared as though he rarely ever slept, if at all. The skin just beneath his eyes was darkened, which was normal for anyone that had failed to get a good night's sleep. Except those dark patches never disappeared, they'd been present for as long as she'd known him, morning, noon and night. Anko was no medical-nin, no doctor or nurse but if she had to guess, she'd wager Hayate had a particularly nasty case of insomnia.

As for the cough, the jury was still out on that one.

"Pardon my interruption, Lord Hokage. But there've been some last minute changes, changes I'll need to explain to the remaining examinees… if I may?" Hayate knew their leader was a patient man but he didn't want to be the first to test that patience; instead cutting right to the chase and remaining formal as was the case in an official competition.

It didn't take long for the Leaf's Fire Shadow to mull his words over; he knew that the students taking part had a right to know of any changes to the exams. "Very well, just be sure to make it quick." He advised, gesturing ahead of him as a means to give Hayate his platform.

The sickly looking Shinobi did just that, stepping in front the children all lined up in neat little rows and showcasing absolutely no change in disposition. "I won't mince words; some of you won't be making it to the third and final phase of the exams." He wasn't lying either, catching each and every candidate completely off-guard with his blunt delivery of the news.

They exchanged glances, their brows furrowed and confusion fraught on their young faces. Stunned silence morphed into quiet murmuring, mentions of mandatory disqualification were barely audible before they rose in volume, the outrage and panic of so much hard work having gone to waste finally setting in.

"Why the heck not?! What did we do?!" Naruto all but yelled from the back of his team, frustration boiling to the surface as he glowered at the man addressing them.

Before he could answer, yet another loud-mouth Genin pitched in. "You're not even giving us a chance?! What kind of crap is that?!" Kiba growled, waving his fist in the air as he flashed his sharp canines in anger.

That anger was immediately quelled when Kurenai fixed him with a hard stare, stern red eyes burning into the boisterous twelve year old. "Kiba Inuzuka, you'll watch your mouth or so help me, I'll disqualify you myself." She warned, raising her voice only slightly at the young dog-user.

He shrank in place, raising his hands and nodding profusely. All Shino and little Hinata could do was shake their heads, as his mouth yet again landed him in trouble. It was one thing to yell at their elders, but a budding ninja cursing in the presence of their superiors was a big no-no. Sensei weren't as strict as they used to be, weren't as hard on their students. But profanity showed a severe lack of respect and in their profession, respect was extremely important.

Where some expressed anger, others conveyed disappointment and annoyance. "What a drag," Shikamaru muttered, his shoulders slumping as the thought of putting in so much effort only to have it rendered useless made him feel defeated.

Silence was also a go-to response, ninja like Sasuke, Mikio and Gaara remaining calm but narrowing their eyes in suspicion. What was the meaning of this? What sort of game were they playing? Were they really going to be disqualified with no say? No way to challenge the decision? Even after coming so far?

Hayate raised his hand as a means of getting their attention, still expressing no outward emotion as his lips remained chiselled into a thin line. "Quiet, please." He spoke, the scratchy tone of his voice doing nothing to pierce the speculative chattering amongst the students.

Like a chorus of mostly prepubescent voices, clashing together to create an even louder swarm of overbearing noise. Naturally, they hadn't heard the man. He hadn't raised his voice in any way, an apparent lack of interest present on his rather gloomy features. The incessant gossiping of the kids didn't last long; someone had to have put them back in their place sooner rather than later.

That someone just so happened to have been the lady wearing the microphone, rolling her pale brown eyes before taking things into her own capable hands. "Shut your traps and let him finish before I march each and every one of you right back out into that forest!" Anko all but screamed into the device amplifying her voice, her eyebrows narrowing and fists balling.

Silence reined, a rather awkward silence, not just from the kids either as the teachers all eyed one another before directing their attention to Anko herself. "A little extreme, don't you think?" Kakashi dryly gave his two cents, prompting the woman to fold her arms in response.

"Worked, didn't it?" She smugly pointed out, citing the lack of verbal squabbling amongst the now deathly quiet children.

Apparently, the prospect of having to slog through the Forest of Death for the second time hadn't been an inviting one. In fact, most of the candidates hoped they'd never breathe in the humid air of that death trap ever again. So yeah, they weren't exactly eager to revisit the place any time soon. Kakashi simply shrugged, unable to deny the fact that her uncouth tactic had indeed yielded results.

Hayate once again lent his voice to the arena, the stark contrast between his subdued mumbling and Anko's bombastic ravings a little hard to swallow for the kids. "Thank you, Anko for… that. As I was saying, no, you're not going to be disqualified at random. Fact is, there're just too many of you here. Honestly, we didn't expect so many candidates to pass the last two phases." He explained, making it a point to glance at both Ibiki and Anko behind him.

Both proctors should have been able to ensure most examinees didn't make it through their tests, they were supposed to challenge Genin but looking at the sheer number of remaining kids, Hayate would've been forgiven for assuming they just waltzed right through each trial. Anko in particular had been so vocal about her phase, how she'd break as many kids as she could and by the end of it, there would be next to none left.

They'd failed to deliver, so they'd had to improvise and change things up in order to continue on. "We need to whittle that number down and in order to do that; we're going to hold a series of preliminary matches." The ghostly pale man elaborated, watching and waiting for yet another outpour of whining.

Hayate was pleasantly surprised when no such thing came, instead one student raising her hand as was the proper etiquette. Sakura held her arm steady, her small muscles having gotten some measure of rest the night before but not quite enough to fend off a dull ache throughout. Kurenai spied Kakashi's only female pupil with her fiery red eyes, silently wondering just why Kiba found it so difficult to be polite and respectful.

Hayate nodded, mutely giving her the okay. "If I may… why?" The pink haired preteen voiced her query, a slight shakiness to her voice as most eyes fell on her, both student and sensei alike.

Though, the dark blue bandanna wearing ninja noted that her nervousness didn't supersede her courtesy. "To speed things up, that's all. The Chūnin Exams are an important event, important people from each and every country come to watch, to spectate… we have to keep to a concrete schedule." Hayate gave the girl, and everyone else listening, her answer.

It was blunt, to the point and the absolute truth. "So… it's all about convenience then? Meeting a deadline?" Another voice piped up, this time unaccompanied by a raised hand.

Pītā had just involuntarily followed up; it was just instinct for the boy with no filter. "Sure, you could put it like that if you want to." Hayate didn't particularly mind, at least he'd asked a question and not screamed an obscenity.

"Pragmatic," Shino quietly mumbled into his coat, finding the man's reasons hard to argue with.

It was easy to forget that the exams were quite a public event, at least the finals of the exams tended to be. While they'd run the gauntlet in the hopes of earning that prized promotion to Chūnin, the exams also doubled as a form of entertainment. It was sort of dark actually, kids had been lost in the forest, each and every one of them had to sign a waiver before even entering the damn place.

A contractual agreement washing Konoha's hands of any fatalities that might've occurred, such was the danger they posed. People sitting in the stands, yelling and cheering the more two ninja beat the hell out of each other almost trivialized what they'd had to do. Regardless, they'd signed up for it and there was no use in dwelling on the negatives. They had to focus on the positives, on what winning meant for them, their ranking, and their village.

Hayate stoically studied each child as they absorbed and processed the information; he gave a slight pause for them to think as he was about to drop yet another bomb on them. "Now, if any of you don't exactly feel in top physical condition, I'm giving you one chance and one chance only to bow out. Prelims start now, so think it through." He recited, the odd cough and hitch escaping his throat every now and then.

Each and every young ninja felt their jaws almost drop, surprise and shock evident on their full faces. "Now?!" Tenten abruptly asked aloud, her thoughts being so loud they'd managed to blurt out of her mouth.

Ino mirrored the weapon-user's sentiment, her loudmouth ajar and ice blue eyes as wide as saucers. "But… we only just passed the second exam, we… we haven't even rested." The girl was so blindsided by the news that she didn't even yell, just meekly pondered their sorry situation.

"Or eaten," Chōji piped up, jokingly yet also semi-serious.

The calorie converter shrank in place when he found himself on the receiving end of an Ino death glare; she apparently wasn't in the mood. Then again, when was she ever in the mood?

Kano, a teenager with tanned skin that hailed from the Village Hidden in the Hotsprings, scoffed as she listened to the irritating voices around her. "What a bunch of whiners," she didn't even bother to mutter the derogatory sentiment, receiving a few less than friendly looks in return but not particularly caring.

The kid with the spider-powers cracked his back, an audible pop drawing a sigh of relief from his masked mouth. "I'm game," he expressed, feeling fit enough to tackle anything, even despite the previous day.

Lee's charcoal black eyes zoned in on the steadfast Pītā, a sense of competition suddenly filling him. "As am I!" He balled his bandage covered fist; he had to have more youth than anyone else if he was going to defeat Neji and impress Sakura.

Mikio matched their enthusiasm with his own subtle eagerness, directing his piercing gaze down the line of shorter ninja. "The sooner the better," he concurred, making it a point to stare directly at Pītā and to the boy's credit, he matched the frightening glower with a silent scowl.

Sasuke was growing impatient, he'd tired of waiting around and talking. "Let's just get this over with," he brashly stated, wincing slightly as the mark on his neck continued to throb and test his resolve.

The mouthy blonde member of Team 7 was just as if not more vocal than anyone else present, fixing Sasuke with a competitive grin. "That goes double for me!" He hollered, though went completely unnoticed by the raven haired prodigy.

Hayate admired the willingness on their part even if he didn't show it, but he had to make it clear exactly what they'd be taking part in. "I'm serious, the winner of each match will be determined by one-on-one combat… sudden death." He paused for effect, watching some of that will suddenly shrink among some of the other students.

"Sudden death?" One of Karin's teammate, the taller boy that never shied away from his treatment of the girl, felt a lump in his throat.

His shorter teammate nodded in agreement, leaving the nervous redhead alone and silent on the matter. "Yeah, suddenly I'm not feeling so eager." He admitted, feeling a little inadequate compared to the competing ninja around him.

One of the ninja from Yugakure felt it too, just how ready some of them looked to get going. "Kano, these kids don't exactly look like pushovers." He observed, spying some of them with shredded clothing and blood stains.

The second boy on the team, with tanned skin just like his teammates and virtually every other person that hailed from their village, was of the same mind on the matter. "They look just about ready to tear each other apart," there was something evident in his voice as he whispered, not fear per se but definitely apprehension.

Kano, adorned in a trench coat not unlike Anko, had to suppress a roll of the eyes. "That's the idea, boys." She pointed out the obvious, quietly pondering just what she'd done to have been stuck with such losers for teammates.

"Guess that means I'm out then," however, neither one of them were the first to raise their hands and bow out.

All eyes were on Kabuto Yakushi, the bespectacled self-appointed expert on the Chūnin Exams. Given how vocal he'd been about his knowledge of the exam and its many participants, showing off his ninja info cards prior to the first phase, this came as quite a shock to most around him. Particularly the Konoha rookies, who'd had to listen to him talk such a big game.

Apparently, that had been a load of hot air. "So much for his 'expertise'," Pītā slyly commented, even going so far as to raise his hands and accompany his words with air quotes.

He'd been expecting the stern look from the pink haired lass behind him, so he wasn't surprised when he also received a light slap to the arm either. "Be nice," Sakura scolded him, prompting him to shake his head and roll his brown eyes.

Kabuto heard the verbal jab, the crass humour lacing the boy's voice. He didn't bother responding, he didn't bother lingering too long to explain his reasons for dropping out. Instead, the teenager supposedly hailing from Konoha himself turned on his heel and headed for the exit. With his back to everyone, Kabuto felt comfortable enough to let a devious smirk emerge on his lips.

Curiously, neither of his teammates said anything. They didn't object, didn't try to stop him, they just let him walk right back out of the way they'd came in. No-one gave it much thought, not the kids or the teachers. Save for Anko, who'd seen the boy often enough to remember his face. He'd competed in the exams many times in the past several years and each time; he always gave up before the third and final phase.

Always, almost as predictable as clockwork.

Hayate didn't particularly care, in fact he preferred it. "Anybody else? Don't be shy; it's just your life on the line." He repeated himself, rather not having to scrape up dead kids off of the arena's cold stone floor.

It was quiet for a moment as each and every ninja weighed the option in their head, some outright dismissed the notion of giving up, refusing to give anything that wasn't their all. Others were starting to have serious doubts, second thoughts and fear creeping into their adolescent minds. After what felt like an eternity, four boys hesitantly raised their trembling arms.

They were the teammates of Karin, the bespectacled redhead from the Hidden Grass Village and Kano, the cocky teenager from the Village Hidden in the Hotsprings. All eyes were on them, as if judging them for making the decision of self-preservation. It didn't feel good, made the youths feel somewhat ashamed but in the end, anything was better than dying. They were red in the face as they lowered their arms, swallowing and barely able to keep themselves rooted in place.

Like they just wanted to bolt, away from scouring eyes and critical looks. "Very well, you can either vacate the arena like Kabuto before you or head up to the balcony and watch. Entirely your call," Hayate explained, throwing the four boys a lifeline.

They nodded and bowed, showcasing a bit of grateful respect before they departed without another word, unable to face their teammates and explain just why they'd called it quits. "Pathetic," it didn't stop Kano from uttering a particularly cutting remark as they left, only serving to make them feel even worse than they already did.

As though they'd been stabbed and she was merely twisting the blade, not a pretty thought. "Guess it's just me… by myself… again," Karin murmured, a feeling of anxiousness slowly rising within as she averted her fiercely red eyes downward.

Staring at her feet, her toes poking through her sandals in an effort to not gaze up and around at the prying eyes on her. While Kano had expected her teammates to suddenly lose their spines, Karin had not. The way they'd talked beforehand, propped themselves up on their journey to the Hidden Leaf, you'd be forgiven for thinking they were the best thing since the art of Shinobi.

Even during their time in the Forest of Death, they'd treated her so badly for expressing second thoughts, for suggesting that they give up and try again next year. Quite ironic really, how she'd been the one to keep her mouth shut and stay in the game and they'd… given up. She was sure they'd twist it somehow upon returning home, she didn't know how but she knew.

That was how it always went back home for the girl, nobody ever trusted her, nobody ever believed in her. Quite lonely really, a feeling Karin knew all too well and simply could not shake. Not even when surrounded by kids of her age, in it together in what she figured was the fight of their young lives.

"Hey, firecracker." A voice called out, the only voice that just happened to be amplified through a microphone.

Karin raised her head, the colour of her cheeks matching her hair and eyes. "Um… ye—yes, proc—tor?" She stuttered, she stammered and felt like even more of an idiot if such a thing was possible.

Anko knew exactly what was going through her mind, she could tell that it was taking every ounce of her being to stand her ground and not cut her losses like her teammates. "You've got guts, kid." She commended the foreign ninja, because she knew it was exactly the thing she needed to hear.

She didn't know her, had only met her when she collected the candidates from the waiting room but she'd seen how badly her teammates treated her. She was the black sheep, the scape goat, the patsy. Everything was her fault, even when it so clearly wasn't. That wasn't any way to treat a kid who was still growing, learning. If that kept up, the little girl would develop a frightening inferiority complex and that wasn't an attractive trait among ninja.

Karin nodded, unable to hide the immediate smile that split her lips. "Th—thank you," though she was still totally red in the face, only for completely different reasons.

She hid it with a bow, a very low one that only made it all the more endearing. In an exam such as this one, especially with kids, encouragement was key. And Anko was willing to bet the Grass-nin hadn't heard one bit of it, perhaps at all. Regardless, it took gall to face something even when your teammates didn't have your back.

Watching the exchange, a tiny speck of respect appearing in his charcoal coloured eyes and disappearing just as quickly, Sasuke had to look away and clutch his neck. "Sasuke?" Concern evident in her voice, Yakumo did her best to speak in hushed whispers as she watched her teammate grit his teeth.

"What?" He forced through his grinding pearly whites, not meaning to but unintentionally sounding aggressive.

Yakumo felt a frown tug at her lips; his curse mark was acting up again. "Are you sure you're up for this? You can rest, there's no shame in it." She suggested, though knew full well what his response was going to be ahead of time.

That was just the way Sasuke was, driven and determined, almost to the point of absurdity. "What kind of ridiculous question is that?" He was also very blunt, wincing through the pain as he tried his best to downplay it in front of everyone.

Sai felt the need to cut it, which was odd as he rarely ever 'felt' at all. "I'm sure Yakumo's just looking out for you, Sasuke. That's what friends do, isn't it?" He observed, once again wearing that kind smile, his jet black eyes shut as he wore a mask of friendliness.

Finally, the sudden flare up passed and Sasuke felt he was able to breathe once again. "I get it, but I haven't come this far just to throw in the towel." He defended his stance, steadfast and resolute in his decision, even in light of recent harrowing circumstances.

Something which Yakumo respected, something she liked about Sasuke. "Just don't overexert yourself, okay?" When he'd made up his mind, there was simply no changing it, for better or worse.

Sasuke nodded, noting that anyone else might've kept pestering him. "Thanks, Yakumo… I appreciate it." But not her, she was smart enough to know when to back off and leave him be.

The same couldn't be said for any of the other girls in his life, particularly the very clingy Ino. Though, Sakura seemed to have been improving, if only slightly. It was tough though, trying to decide if she'd finally caught the hint that he just wasn't interested in her in _that_ way or if… if she was afraid of him. Despite his attitude, despite how cold he appeared, how uncaring he was… Sasuke hoped he hadn't scared her or anyone else. He'd been trying to protect them, just as they had protected him. The boy set his jaw as he once again faced front, whatever light they saw him in now, it simply couldn't have been helped.

Hiruzen, Anko, Kakashi and Genma noticed the little back and forth. Kurenai and Asuma had been informed of the events that had transpired, though they elected to stay silent on the matter. Anko and the Hokage were the experts on all things 'curse mark'; they wouldn't have even known where to begin with such a terrible thing.

"It is as we feared," Hiruzen remarked solemnly, having kept a careful albeit wary eye on the Uchiha orphan.

While Sasuke had proved his strength by surviving the ordeal, the curse mark itself was still causing problems for him. "What do you propose we do with him?" Kakashi aired the question to anyone that would answer it, the four of them slowly congregating on the platform albeit not in any obvious way.

They didn't want to arouse suspicion, among the children or any potential threat that could've been present but shouldn't have been. "If it was up to me, I'd hand him over to Black Ops for his own safety as well as everyone else's. But… we _did_ establish that he's our only lead on scale-face so… I'm tapped," Anko offered up her thoughts on the delicate issue, for all the good it did.

Genma didn't like the idea of Black Ops taking the boy off his hands, a frown lining his lips as he spoke up. "There're more than enough of us here in case that mark gets out of control, he's made it this far… let the boy compete." The man defended his student, fulfilling his role as sensei to a T.

Anko sighed, she didn't like it but they weren't exactly drowning in available options. "At this point, I don't think we have much of a choice." She reluctantly agreed, earning a grateful nod from Genma.

Kakashi chimed in as he observed the raven haired lad from afar, his hands stuffed into their home in his pants pockets. "I'm sure we can handle a simple twelve year old, as gifted as he is." The silver haired copy-nin reasoned, a hint of dry humour decorating his usually dull tone.

From one masked ninja to another, as Dosu eyed the competition before gazing at his own two teammates. "Zaku, you still don't have the use of your arms." The boy, quite sharp in his reserved tone, stated the obvious.

The raven haired kid stood at the back of the team, both of his aforementioned arms practically strapped to his body by two crude makeshift slings. "Your point?" The most unstable member of their little squad queried, glancing back and forth between his damaged limbs.

Kin felt like slapping him, just a good ole smack right across the jaw for uttering such a stupid comment. "He literally just spelled it out for you, idiot." She didn't mince words, her eyebrows knotted together in a mass of confusion and anger.

The confusion was due to her having trouble processing how someone could've been so mind-numbingly dumb but the anger was actually completely unrelated to his injury, though still involved him. Back in the forest, after they'd had to suffer through the humiliation of retreating, sent back into the underbrush by the spider and the Uchiha boy, Dosu had informed her of what had transpired when she'd been unconscious.

Whilst Zaku was resting, the torn sleeves of Dosu's shirt providing his broken arms with some measure of relief, Kin had learnt exactly what kind of teammate she had. Now, she wasn't perfect by any means but she knew the importance of a team. She trusted Dosu despite his shortcomings, he'd had her back ever since Lord Orochimaru had first introduced them and he hadn't let her down just yet.

But Zaku… the boy had been willing to go through her to get to the enemy, the little blonde bimbo that had somehow taken possession of her body. Kin still didn't know what to do with the information; it was a little much to process. She'd made her dislike of Zaku very clear the moment they met, there was no mistaking it for anything but contempt. But she'd never once considered killing him, never.

Kicking him out of the team? More times than she was able to count, but never something so extreme. Dosu hadn't needed to tell her, he could've omitted everything and she never would've known. But he'd done it and in the end, Kin was grateful. Zaku was dangerous, erratic and unpredictable.

There was no telling what he was going to do next, and now all the girl could do was look at him in disgust. Kin averted her eyes, facing front and attempting to scrub the image of the boy from her mind. She didn't even want to be in the same room as him, let alone be on the same team. Whatever happened in the exams, Kin had already decided that she was going to take it up with Orochimaru.

Zaku, completely oblivious to the girl's troubled thoughts and inner workings, brushed off the blatant insult. "I'll think of something, I'm not willing to let Lord Orochimaru down just because of a little handicap." He boasted, apparently having learned nothing from his encounter with Sasuke the previous day.

Dosu shook his head in silent disbelief; idiot did not even begin to describe the boy at this point. "Yes, we wouldn't want _that_ now, would we?" His beady black eyes, the only exposed feature of his bandage covered face, drifted upwards to their sensei as he spoke.

Employing a hushed tone, the resentment was palpable in his voice as the two briefly locked eyes for a moment. Onpa, the leader of Team Sound, offered a curt nod in his direction. However, Dosu didn't feel compelled or obligated to nod back. Everyone was completely in the dark (of course they were, he was a master of disguise after all), but the Sound-nin standing amongst the men and women running the exams, standing within ten feet of the Hokage himself... was none other than Orochimaru.

A row removed from the Sound Team was Team Kuentin, the sand-squad's namesake turning to glance at his allies behind him. The word 'allies' being used in a very loose sense, they were definitely a team that worked together fairly well but allies… Kuentin thought that was a bit of stretch. They weren't nearly as tightknit as some of the other teams appeared to have been, the aspiring Genjutsu master observed.

"Don't suppose either of you are willing to bail out," it wasn't a question he aired, just an obvious statement.

The ninja at the back of the line had to peak his shiny bald out from behind a towering Mikio, expressing his own less than thrilled thoughts on the matter. "Fat chance," he quite eloquently put, the boy with electric blue eyes hadn't even considered the possibility of quitting.

Mikio surprisingly echoed his sentiments, his arms folded over his wide chest as he dismissed the notion outright. "For once, Saidai speaks sense." Credit where credit was due, as that was rarely ever the case.

Kuentin spied the lightning-user grinning like an idiot upon hearing his teammate's words; he shook his head at the lad who wasn't all there. "Well, a broken clock _is_ right twice a day." He mocked, the comparison completely lost on Saidai while Mikio merely stayed silent.

Hayate had waited for anyone else to raise their hands and opt out of the competition but when he realized he was waiting on no-one, he pushed on. "If the rest of you are in it for the long haul, the preliminary exams will begin immediately. This round will consist of a series of one-on-one battles; no holds barred… means no holding back." He elaborated, finding that each and every pair of adolescent and maturing eyes were firmly focused on him.

After pausing for a bit of dramatic effect, the Tokubetsu-Jōnin continued. "The rules are… there are no rules, you'll fight tooth and nail until one dies or concedes defeat. Those who win will advance to the finals, simple. However, if I judge a certain match to be hopeless, I _will_ step in to avoid a fatality." He affirmed, somewhat of a stern look decorating his passive features in order to reinforce his words.

As harsh as the conditions of the exams were, no-one present wanted to watch a bunch of kids die. "Those of you who are severely injured during your fight or hampered in any way will be encouraged to forfeit, your pride isn't worth your life." He littered in a bit of advice as kids were prone to overexert themselves, most of the time in an effort to prove themselves.

A mic wearing Anko cut in for a moment, drawing the curious eyes of roughly thirty kids as she spoke up. "On the panel on the wall behind us, you'll see just who's facing who before each match." She gestured to the large electronic screen, the children's line of sight following along with her hand.

Hayate quickly scrubbed through everything in his head, making sure he wasn't forgetting anything. "Well, I've said everything I needed to say. Lord Hokage?" He bowed out, handing the floor off to the leader of the village after he'd granted him the same courtesy.

Hiruzen nodded his thanks, though he honestly didn't have much of anything else to add. "I'm sure you're all very tired of hearing us prattle on, so without further ado… let the matches begin." He announced, refraining from shouting as straining his voice was all too easy at his ripe old age.

The mood was tense as the electronic screen flashed to life, a series of flashing yellow kanji flickering at a lightning pace. It was moving too fast to read, the only constant a glowing yellow 'vs' at the centre of the monitor. In fact, the only person present who could read it in such a state was Pītā. His enhanced senses enabled him to follow quick movement, impossibly quick movement, far too fast for the naked eye to see.

It didn't take a boy-genius to guess that the kanji was their names, but seeing it in crystal clear clarity was an added bonus. The suspense gave way as the flashing finally stopped, two names appearing and remaining solid on the screen. There were a few sighs of relief amongst the kids, even rarer were the few that sighed in disappointment. Sasuke on the other hand had to smirk; it was just his luck that he'd be the one to go first. Though, he didn't know his opponent, someone named Yoroi apparently.

Hayate peeled his eyes away from the screen to once again address the candidates, the ball finally starting to roll. "Screen's pretty clear, Sasuke and… Yoroi, step forward." He paused for a moment, unsure how to pronounce the name before taking a wild guess.

The candidates belonging to the names came forward, a stark contrast between the pair of them as Yoroi wasn't actually a kid at all. He was a full grown man, perhaps in his early twenties if the Uchiha orphan had to guess. Sasuke recognized the familiar swirly symbol of his own village, engraved into the forehead protector the man was wearing, his eyes hidden by two darkened lenses, not unlike Shino.

It was strange, it'd only just hit the blue adorned boy that despite being from Konoha, he'd never seen him around. Come to think of it, he'd never seen his cowardly team leader around either, Kabuto. Perhaps he'd just been too wrapped up in himself to notice or perhaps… perhaps what, Sasuke wasn't sure.

Hayate's subdued voice snapped him back to reality, demanding his attention as they stood singled out ahead of all of the other examinees. "Any objections before we start?" The mysteriously ill man, still coughing every now and then, glanced between the pair of them.

Sasuke didn't bother turning to look at his opponent; he didn't need to even think twice about his answer. "Not from me," he quickly replied, feeling the unseen eyes of Yoroi firmly on him.

He was sizing him up, a grown man looking down on a boy that hadn't even gone through puberty yet. "No," he didn't hesitate either, no amount of worry or reluctance to his tone.

Hayate nodded, they could finally get on with it. "Everyone else, head up to the upper level in a quick and orderly fashion." The man ordered, lazily gesturing to the upper stone balconies.

They did just that, the Leaf Genin gravitating towards each other and headed one way while the foreign ninja went the other, separated by over a hundred metres of stone arena. Before following the mass of Genin migrating out of the arena, both Yakumo and Sai remained to give their teammate a few well wishes.

"Promise me you won't overdo it, Sasuke?" The pretty brunette asked of him, she was simply concerned for his well-being was all.

Sasuke nodded but knew he couldn't guarantee such a thing, he wasn't psychic. "We'll have to see how things go," he answered, the best answer he could've given her.

Sai on the other hand, was a little more… up front. "As your teammate, I'm obligated to wish you well in your fight." He spoke through the same smile he always employed, eyes shut and completely oblivious to the social implications of his strange robotic words.

Sasuke furrowed his brow trying to make sense of the lad but settled for a slow nod of the head, knowing it to have been fruitless. "Um… thanks," he simply responded, watching a satisfied Sai turn to leave.

Yakumo shrugged, their pale teammate really was an odd one. She left without another word, just as every other candidate did. A few lingered however as the many Jōnin moved from the elevated platform in order to join their students, having gone almost five days without any sort of contact. Call it fondness; call it parental urges, it was simply good to see them again.

Kakashi had to remove his hands from their home in his pants pockets, bringing them up to brace himself when Naruto charged right into his torso. "Naruto, not that I'm not glad to see you but… what did we discuss?" He dryly stated, gazing down at the blonde messy haired lad who'd buried himself into his flak jacket.

He peaked up at his elder, blue eyes full of bashfulness meeting blank black orbs. "No hugging?" He grinned as he answered, apparently unable to help himself.

The silver-haired copy-nin sighed, so he'd remembered that Kakashi wasn't exactly the hugging type, he'd just simply chose to ignore it. "No hugging," he mimicked the question as a statement, the boy taking the hint and peeling himself off of him.

It couldn't have been helped really; no amount of quiet advice or word of warning was going to change the boy. Naruto was simply too affectionate for his own good, he wore his heart on his orange sleeve and despite being a little awkward when it came to his students, Kakashi wouldn't have changed it for the world.

He watched the only girl in his care walk up to the pair of them, a pleasant smile painted across her lips as she gazed up at him. "It's good to see you, Kakashi-Sensei." Sakura kindly greeted, not a rude bone in her body when it came to addressing her superiors.

Kakashi could tell that like Naruto, she too wanted to hug him. "And you, Sakura. You've made it far in these exams, just as I knew you would." He encouraged, noticing her fidget in place.

Unlike the resident prankster of the team, she was much more reserved and understood when such a thing was appropriate. "It wasn't easy," she replied, a hint of experience to her largely joyful tone.

The man knew why, he'd spied her slowly healing injuries earlier. "Yet you persevered despite that, all the more commendable in my opinion." She'd faced trying times and trying times created stronger people, it was a good thing plain and simple.

Though, despite being proud of his student, Kakashi couldn't ignore the elephant in the room any longer. "Your hair, Sakura." He didn't ask or pry; instead he simply pointed it out and waited for her to elaborate.

Sakura felt flushed, her hands reaching up to play with her short pink locks. "It—it's not a big deal, sensei… really." She blurted, her large green eyes flickering away to look somewhere else, anywhere else.

Kakashi wasn't sure why but again, chose to let sleeping dogs lie. "I was just going to say that… it's lovely, very practical." He complimented, instead choosing to focus on the now and leave behind whatever happened in the forest.

Sakura nodded her head, her teacher's monotone voice serving to lift her spirits even when she wasn't at the top of her physical game. Speaking of physicality, Pītā appeared right beside the girl, offering a causal two-fingered salute his sensei's way. Kakashi shook his head in response; the boy wasn't nearly as sentimental as either of his teammates.

"You look terrible, Pītā." He was blunt, words that would've been cutting for anyone else.

But not him, never him, he was far too thick-skinned for that. "I'm pretty on the inside," he bounced back, gloved hands on his hips as his mask did its best to hide a self-congratulatory smirk.

Naruto bit back a laugh as Sakura felt her eyes roll into the back of her head, Kakashi wouldn't admit it outright but the lad's whimsical side was something he was fond of. Everyone liked a good joke (even him in all his deadpan glory) and Pītā was full of them, the spider reminded him of Anko in that regard.

If a little less insane…

With the arena almost vacated, Kakashi was reminded that there were things happening far bigger than him reconnecting with his squad. "Sorry to cut this reunion short but we can talk later, the matches are about to start." He urged them to get a move on, guiding them with his hands as they strolled towards the stairs leading to the upper level.

Naruto took one last look at the two candidates still standing in the arena, particularly Sasuke. It didn't take long for the ebony haired prodigy to notice the eyes on him, a little perplexed when the blonde annoyance nodded at him, a well-wish expressed without the need for words. He didn't nod back but appreciated the sentiment anyway; he was far too busy mentally preparing for his fight to give it any real thought beyond that.

Which was also the reason he didn't register the hand on his shoulder right away, startling him for the briefest of moments. "Sensei," he regained his composure, looking up as Genma smiled down at him.

"Good to see you're all right, kiddo. Well, almost all right. How's the mark?" The Tokubetsu-Jōnin questioned, catching his student off-guard with his knowledge of recent events.

Sasuke paled slightly, instinctively reaching up to touch the topic of their discussion. "You know? How?" He'd told no-one, he hadn't seen the few that did know about the curse mark tell anyone either.

Genma lightly tapped the side of his own nose, smirking as his overly serious pupil awaited an answer. "A little bird told me," he played it coy, drawing an irritated groan out of the boy.

Sasuke was direct and preferred when others showed him the same courtesy, his light-hearted sensei was another story. "What am I supposed to do about it?" While he didn't share the man's disposition, he still trusted him enough to seek advice from him.

After all, that was what adults were for. "I'm no expert but I've been advised to warn you not to use your Sharingan," Genma informed the lad, omitting just where he'd gotten his information from.

The orphan furrowed his brow in confusion; he didn't see the connection between his kekkei genkai and the burning mark on his neck. "My Sharingan? Why?" He was a little sterner with his words, the ability of his bloodline was a very powerful one and one he often relied on.

Genma didn't find it easy to match the boy's tone but he managed it, briefly remembering that he was the one in charge. "Because that mark is somehow messing with your Chakra, use it and you run the risk of activating it. That'd probably be bad, not just for you but for everyone involved." He cautioned, folding his arms in order to assert himself a little more.

He was still getting the hang of the whole 'sensei' thing but he was getting there, bit by bit. "So I can't even use my own Jutsu… just great," Sasuke muttered, his shoulders slumping at the prospect of a fight without the use of Chakra.

Genma responded the only way he knew how, by ruffling the boy's neatly kept hair. "I thought you liked a good challenge," he teased, removing his hand when Sasuke batted at it.

After straightening his jet black hair out, Sasuke narrowed his eyes of the same colour in annoyance. "Funny," he murmured, not a hint of humour present in that dispassionate voice of his.

His sensei took the hint; he wasn't in a good mood at the moment. "Seriously though, no Chakra. Use it and I'll be forced to step in to end your match prematurely, win or lose, doesn't matter. Good luck, kid… you're gonna need it." He turned on his heel, headed up to the upper level to join the other two members of his team as Sasuke simmered with the order.

Luck, Sasuke didn't believe in luck. Everything he'd done, everything he was, that was purely him and him alone. No divine intervention or grand universal plan at work, he played the cards he'd been dealt with and at that moment, his hand was a pretty poor one. A curse mark seared onto his neck, threatening to activate at any second. Not being able to use his ace in the hole, his Sharingan as well as having the rest of his Chakra under lock and key.

No, Sasuke didn't need luck. "If both combatants are ready… let the match begin!" After nothing but draining days of constant hardship, Sasuke needed a win.

And that was exactly what he intended to accomplish…

* * *

The fight wasn't a long one but by no means was it dull, almost everyone present feeling the suspense as Sasuke struggled to fight an uphill battle. To the boy's shock, his opponent had a very powerful ninja art that he didn't shy away from using. Yoroi possessed the unique ability to be able to drain a person's Chakra with the palm of his hand, all he needed was a smidge of contact and that was it, he sucked every ounce of spiritual and physical energy out of them.

It was safe to say that Sasuke hadn't fancied his chances and being brutally honest, neither had those watching. With the boy's curse mark burning into his neck like a piece of hot coal, his knees buckled at every given opportunity and his chances of winning got slimmer and slimmer. Not being able to use any of his Jutsu, not being able to play the trump card that was his Sharingan was a tough break.

But while others would've given up, seen it as hopeless and a fight not worth fighting, Sasuke didn't. Even physically exhausted, practically running on fumes as he evaded each and every attempt of Yoroi trying to get his hands on him, Sasuke left his audience stunned. Particularly Guy, Lee and Kakashi.

Guy because he knew the move the boy had just used intimately, having taught it to his student himself. Kakashi because he'd witnessed it more times than he could've counted and Lee because… well, because it was _his_ move. Sasuke had 'borrowed' the move Lee had used against him back during sign-up for the exams, when he was trying to gauge just how tough the famed Uchiha-Clan was said to have been.

He hadn't been impressed then but now… it all made sense, he'd walked away from defeat but not without taking something from him. "Lee, isn't that…?" Sakura trailed off, failing to form words as Sasuke sent Yoroi sailing into the air with a well-placed kick to the bottom of his jaw.

Lee frowned, his large round eyes focused firmly on the action, even as his one true love spoke his name. "The Dancing Leaf Shadow," he finished her sentence for her without missing a beat, observing Sasuke mimic his opponent's position in the air by appearing right underneath him.

Usually, the next step in the sequence of moves was the Primary Lotus or the Leaf Hurricane but Lee wasn't the one performing the move. The next step had yet to come however as Sasuke winced in pain, the curse mark on his neck beginning to spin and glow a luminescent blend of orange and red. Most had absolutely no clue what was happening, the few that did were preparing for the worst, ready to jump in at a moment's notice. Onpa or more accurately, a disguised Orochimaru, felt the anticipation growing within him. Sasuke was being pushed to the point where he'd have no other choice but to rely on the power of the curse mark. Either that or lose the match, maybe even perish at the hands of Yoroi.

Both Genma and Kakashi tensed up, waiting for it to play out. Karin was completely oblivious to the curse mark and what had happened to Sasuke, her hands clasped together and her piercing red eyes filled with admiration. Yakumo's brown eyes widened as her teammate stood on the periphery of chaos and control, Anko had fully expected it to happen sooner or later and Sakura felt the fear creep up on her as she thought that it was happening all over again.

Pītā arched an eyebrow in confusion, momentarily ripping his eyes away from the action to find a vice-like grip around his wrist. Sakura didn't know she was holding onto him, she was too busy dreading what was about to happen to even acknowledge it.

But to the relief of many, such a horrible moment didn't come. "No goddamn way," Anko felt her arms slacken at either side of her, her mouth ajar as Sasuke wrestled control of his own body away from the foreign influence afflicting him.

Orochimaru, firmly entrenched behind enemy lines, felt his black heart sink. Sasuke had been strong enough to refuse the mark, forcing the flaring pattern that had been expanding over his body like a disease back where it came from. The mark settled once again, cooling and reassuming its inactive black colour. If it wasn't for his disappointment, Orochimaru would've been impressed.

Sasuke, even how spent he was, had managed to gain the upper hand over the curse mark through sheer willpower alone. "Lion's Barrage!" He called out, finishing what he'd started before having to overcome his ridiculous handicap.

The move was certainly new to Guy, Lee and Kakashi. Sasuke had apparently modified the Jutsu he'd borrowed with a little flare of his own, sending the helpless Yoroi hurtling back towards the stone ground with his fist before sealing the deal with a devastating downwards heel to his chest. The force was enough to get his opponent to spit blood, even whilst mid-air, before he crashed down hard.

Sasuke followed a split second later, hitting the floor with the grace of a bull. Hayate paused and waited for either combatant to move, looking for just the faintest sign of life. However, strolling over to the prone Yoroi told him all he needed to know.

He bent down, snapping his fingers in front of his face before removing the man's sunglasses. "Yeah, he's not doing much of anything anytime soon." He wasn't unconscious but instead in a state of shock, his eyes so wide they were almost bulging out of his head.

The only question was… had Sasuke faired any better?

Hayate lazily turned his head towards the boy when he heard movement, slow and steady movement but movement nonetheless. Sasuke summoned the tiny ounce of strength he had left to climb to his knees, one eye shut in pain and sweat accumulating on his forehead. He'd survived, albeit barely.

Still, that was good enough for Hayate. "The winner of the first preliminary match is… Sasuke Uchiha," he announced to the cheers of half the arena, the other half remaining in dead silence.

"I knew you could do it, Sasuke!" Karin cheered at the top of her lungs, receiving several odd looks considering she was standing among the foreign ninja.

Naruto stuck two fingers into his mouth and whistled, his excitement for the win only overshadowed by his eagerness to fight Sasuke himself. Ino gripped Shikamaru by his arm, shaking it with glee as she hopped up and down on the spot. Hinata marvelled at such an amazing display of skill despite being injured, while Kiba muttered that it wasn't _that_ impressive.

Chōji had other more important things on his mind as his stomach reminded him of how empty it was, growling quite violently. Neji gave nothing away as he stood with his arms folded, a permanent frown carved into his lips whilst Lee didn't know whether to be happy for Sasuke or a little offended that he'd essentially stolen his move.

On the other end of the divide, Gaara was having trouble calming himself and his bloodlust. People like Sasuke made him want to lose control, to show just how insignificant all of these 'impressive' ninja really were. It took every ounce of his willpower to not use his sand to rip Sasuke into pieces, decorating the arena and the audience with showers of crimson liquid.

Mikio shrugged indifferently, his mind firmly settled on something else while Kuentin spat on the floor in disgust. "Bloodlines, simply repulsive." He muttered with hate, his apparent prejudice boiling to the surface.

Sakura finally relinquished her grip of Pītā's wrist when she realized just what she'd been doing, blushing a fierce shade of red. "Sorry," she shyly apologized, rubbing her bare arm a little self-consciously while the boy simply held a hand up in response.

Down in the arena and about to fall over out of pure exhaustion, Sasuke found himself propped up by the knee of his sensei. "You continue to impress, Sasuke." Though the words he heard didn't sound like the man's voice, causing him to raise his head and find Kakashi Hatake standing over him.

"What do you think?" Genma posed, his peer having much more experience when it came to marks and seals.

Kakashi pondered the question for a moment but ultimately, couldn't deny what needed to be done. "I think we've let that mark fester for long enough, it needs to be dealt with. You wouldn't mind if I took him off your hands, would you?" He sought permission, the proper and respectable thing to do when pertaining to another's students.

Genma nodded, looping his arms underneath his pupil's and lifting him to his feet. "I wouldn't be much use in this particular field so go nuts, just be sure to bring him back safe." He cautioned his friend, receiving a blank nod in return.

Kakashi placed his hand on the boy's shoulder, being mindful enough to not put so much weight on him. "I'll guard him as if he were my own, you can be sure of that." He eased the man's worry, gently steering a confused Sasuke away from the centre of the arena.

Being guided past medical-nin that were checking on his defeated opponent, Sasuke gazed up at Naruto, Sakura and Pītā's sensei. "Where exactly are you taking me?" He queried a little awkwardly, having never said more than two words to the Jōnin.

He knew who Kakashi was but he didn't _know_ him, so his apprehension was to be expected. "Isn't it obvious? To seal that dreaded mark on your neck, boy." The silver haired ninja told him bluntly, leading Sasuke right out of the large stone double doors he and his team had used to enter the arena in the first place.

* * *

It didn't take long for Kakashi to find an appropriate place to carry out such an important task, it needed to be private and needed to have enough space for the actual seal. Luckily, the large stone room the pair found themselves in provided them with both qualities. Thick stone pillars littered the room in all directions, most of them hidden in the shadows as the room wasn't lit in the slightest. The copy-nin figured he didn't need to, he could see well enough and he wasn't planning on spending too much time there.

Sasuke sat on the hard cold floor, directly in the centre of a large circle Kakashi had etched into the ground using the razor sharp metal of a kunai knife. Several of the ninja tools had been embedded into said ground blade first, leading to quite an ominous scene. The cherry on top however was the blood Kakashi had painted the floor with, several long columns of kanji written in the liquid pumping throughout his own body.

The boy twitched slightly when he felt two fingers slick with blood touch his shirtless body, quickly writing around the curse mark and all the way down his back, both of his arms and his chest, merging with the many red columns of kanji on the floor. Kakashi realized how uncomfortable it must have been, he wasn't exactly having the time of his life either but it simply had to be done.

"This is going to be quick," Kakashi assured, earning a satisfied nod from the orphan.

Sasuke glanced over his shoulder, being mindful of the throbbing mark on his neck. "Good," he spoke; still struggling to breathe due to the punishment his body had gone through.

Kakashi clasped his hands together, the series of hand signs he had to perform quickly returning to his memory. "But painful," he added in an absent-minded manner, before rapidly cycling through said hand signs.

Sasuke gaped, about to object. "Curse Sealing!" But couldn't speak up or move quick enough, feeling Kakashi's gloved palm press down on his curse mark.

The agony was immediate, sending Sasuke's body into a series of spasms as he sat there, glued in place and just riding it out. He didn't even realize that he was screaming, his ebony coloured eyes slammed shut on reflex and his hands balled into impossibly tight fists. Kakashi's lone exposed eye never moved beyond half-lidded, simply waiting for the deed to be done as he witnessed the bloody characters he'd written begin to flow and move on their own.

They receded from the floor, like a painting come to life as they snaked their way up Sasuke's body and right to the source of his pain. The Heaven's Curse Mark stopped spinning, the three tomoe calming down and cooling as the seal took hold and surrounded them. Eventually, it along with the pain stopped altogether. Sasuke almost collapsed right there and then, Kakashi was mildly surprised the boy even knew what day it was.

Heavy breathing filled the air, accompanied by nothing but silence as Kakashi let the child gather his thoughts. "Are… are we… done here?" Sasuke asked, stringing together a few strained words in the hopes he'd formed a coherent sentence.

Kakashi heard him well, wiping the excess blood off of his fingertips. "For now, sure. But I must stress, this isn't a permanent solution, Sasuke. The seal will keep a handle on your curse mark but you have to remember, it's only as strong as you are." He explained, watching with a little sympathy as the boy tried to climb to his feet.

As expected, he fell backwards with a thud, landing right where he'd been sitting. "Not feeling… very strong," Sasuke admitted through the panting, his chest heaving as fatigue plagued every part of him.

"The seal derives its power from the strength of your will, if that ever weakens, if you ever begin to doubt yourself, even for a moment… the curse will be unleashed in all its fury." Kakashi dropped quite a bomb, an intensity to his voice that the prodigy wasn't accustomed to.

It might've been a little dramatic but given the severity of the situation, Kakashi felt he had to drive the point home. It was out of his or anyone else's hands now, solely up to Sasuke and him alone. Finally, after what felt like an eternity of propping himself up, Sasuke fainted. Kakashi didn't try to stop his short fall, didn't try to rouse him from his involuntary slumber.

He'd expected it to have happened sooner or later, he was just surprised it'd happened later. "I don't blame him; he's had a rough few days." A voice cut right through the silence, right through the darkness if that was possible.

Kakashi didn't need to turn around to know just who had arrived, just who it was. He doubted anyone could forget such a vomit inducing tone, a bark that he would've deemed annoying had it not been backed up by such an overwhelming bite. He turned anyway, instinct kicking in as he faced the threat, rigid and immediately on guard.

Orochimaru stood in the darkness, the shadows enveloping him serving well to hide most of his body, save for his pale complexion and a forehead protector that told Kakashi all he needed to know. The tell-tale eighth note music symbol of the Sound Village, he'd been impersonating a sensei from the village all this time, right under their very noses.

The missing-nin stood quite a distance from Kakashi, several metres at least but even then, it was still too close for comfort. Kakashi's entire body language had been violently forced from its natural calm, casual manner and into something far tenser.

Regardless, he kept his composure and didn't let his stoic mask slip. "I knew you'd show your face sooner or later, you just can't help yourself." He engaged the recent arrival, though how recent was another question altogether.

Just how long had he been standing there? Just beyond Kakashi's line of sight and sound, cloaked in shadows like some kind of elemental demon. It was an apt description considering just who he was facing, a man notorious for his depravity, known the world over for his twisted deeds. Kakashi Hatake wasn't one to be afraid, rarely anything ever scared him.

But Orochimaru wasn't just anything, as evidenced by the sweat amassing on the Jōnin's forehead. "Yes, because you know me so well." The serpent mocked, rolling his eyes dismissively as Kakashi narrowed his own.

"Well enough to understand why you're here, snake." But the copy-nin kept to his guns, making sure to stand firmly in front of the unconscious Sasuke.

A glint of light flashed in the shadows as Orochimaru grinned, showcasing his reptilian fangs. "Temper, temper, Kakashi. We both know how our last encounter went; would you really care to relive that?" He pouted, he was toying with him and Kakashi knew it.

It meant he was confident, meant he wasn't the least bit afraid of the famed ninja. "That was years ago, you were fighting a frightened boy." Unfortunately, he couldn't say the same of himself.

The Shinobi of legend hummed thoughtfully, before he once again set his sights on his tense company. "Oh, I don't think you've changed that much… well, save for that extraordinary gift hiding behind your headband." Those poisonously yellow eyes of his zoned in on the subject of his words, causing Kakashi to pale.

He knew what the killer was referring to, the powerful weapon he rarely ever used, the covered eye that rarely saw the light of day. His Sharingan, the gift he'd received from a very dear friend oh so long ago. Kakashi steeled himself, slamming both eyes shut and shaking his head. It hurt just to think about it and at this moment in time, he really didn't need to reopen an old wound that truthfully, had never fully healed.

Orochimaru took note of the silence on his part, choosing to maliciously dive deeper. "To have stumbled upon something so easily, we can't all be as lucky as you." He grinned, watching as the man trembled with anger before him.

Kakashi had to ball his fists in an effort to let the rage slip away; it was never wise to act when consumed by emotion. "There was nothing easy about it," he instead lamented, refusing to play the man's game.

The criminal saw that his taunting wasn't having its desired effect; Kakashi was a little too wise to it. "I can see I've touched a nerve… no matter, my business is with the boy in your care." Orochimaru shifted his focus from the one-eyed sensei to something smaller, younger and lost in the land of sleep.

Kakashi purposefully stepped into his line of sight, demanding his attention once more as he blocked Sasuke off. "Forget it," he plainly stated, a little harsher edge to his tone as he verbally shut him down.

Orochimaru chuckled, just a light show of humour as his enemy remained deathly serious. "You didn't even let me finish," he found it awfully rude, interrupting someone.

Clearly, Kakashi didn't think common courtesy applied to the psychopath. "And I don't intend to either, it's painfully obvious that you need Sasuke for something. I don't know what and I don't know why but as long as I'm standing here, this little plan of yours won't move beyond its infancy." He made himself very clear, the adrenaline pumping through his veins making him feel brave enough to stare the chalky white man down.

Orochimaru raised his eyebrows, a little impressed admittedly. "Such strong words… you know who I am, what I'm capable of… I wonder if you really mean that." He wondered aloud, before taking the plunge.

Kakashi felt his breath hitch in his throat when he slowly snaked out of the shadows, taking a few measured steps towards him before he snapped back to reality. "I don't give a damn who you are! Shinin or no Shinin, take one more step and you'll find out just how much I've really changed!" He roared through his mask, spreading his feet and holding his arm down, the palm of his hand facing the floor.

A super-charged flash of light shined in the darkness, a crackling neon blue being the only source of contrast within the dim blackness of the room. A powerful show of Chakra seeped out of Kakashi's hand, letting the man wield particularly potent Lightning Style. Specifically, his superior version of the Chidori, his very own Lightning Blade.

Orochimaru had taken the hint, stopping in his tracks for a short moment as he held his hands behind his back. The energy continued to flow, Kakashi continued to scowl yet the snake decided to throw his head back and laugh. The Jōnin was at a loss, he was wielding one of the most powerful abilities he possessed and for someone to laugh at that… he felt small. So unimaginably tiny, like he was less than nothing to the man before him.

"Bravo, Kakashi. For a brief second there, I almost believed you… almost. No, I don't need to go through you. I could, you know full well I could. But why waste the time and energy when all I need to do is simply… wait," the raven haired Shinobi ominously stated, drawing a confused stare from the one-eyed teacher.

Kakashi let his Lightning Blade die down; he'd made it very clear he didn't desire a fight with him, that he wasn't even worth the effort. "What are you getting at?" Truth be told, he wasn't exactly chomping at the bit to tackle such a powerful foe.

Orochimaru let a hand snake free from behind his back, gesturing to the shirtless boy lying on the ground. "Not everyone abides by your village, your code, your precious Will of Fire. The boy's heart lies elsewhere, concerned with other things far beyond the 'noble' ambition of a mere Genin. You know what I speak of, Kakashi." He insinuated, leading the silver haired Leaf-nin to furrow his brow.

It hit him shortly after; he _did_ know what Orochimaru spoke of. How young Sasuke had witnessed his older brother tear apart each and every person belonging to his clan, the Uchiha Massacre. The boy's father, his mother, all dead. He hadn't been present at the time but news travelled fast, especially news of such an unspeakable act.

That had to scar a child and unfortunately, Kakashi knew exactly what that felt like from first-hand experience. When he'd arrived home as a budding Academy student, discovering the lifeless body of his father. He couldn't believe it, suicide of all things. Trauma like that changed a person; he was willing to bet it took a far more severe toll on kids. The man didn't know what was in Sasuke's heart but it surely couldn't be vengeance, could it? A lust for payback and nothing else?

Kakashi didn't know the lad well enough to know the answer, so Orochimaru received nothing but silence on the subject. "Sooner or later, his thirst for power will drive him right into my arms." He mocked, letting his ridiculously long forked tongue slither out of his mouth and taste the air.

His company shuddered, glaring daggers at the monster as he turned on his heel and decided it was time to leave. "Or you could avoid such a humiliating defeat, take your chance and kill me… right here, right now." Orochimaru halted, his back turned to one of the most powerful and skilled ninja in the Leaf as a show of fearlessness.

Kakashi felt himself freeze in place, his mind reasoning that he'd never have a clearer chance to get the deed done yet his muscles refusing to budge, screaming at him to do no such thing. The body was all about self-preservation and at the end of the day, there was no way he was walking away from a battle with one of the legendary Shinin.

Orochimaru felt a smirk creep onto his face, having bested the talented ninja without even having to lift a finger. "Hmm… must feel terrible, having a student so much braver than you are." He twisted the knife, mentioning the one thing that had slipped Kakashi's mind during the entire encounter.

He paled at the thought of his student, one of the boys in his care, having to endure such a terrifying ordeal at the hands of someone so sadistic. "I did enjoy my time with young Pītā, stubborn as he was. Who knows, maybe one day he'll come to his senses and abandon you for me." He'd already snaked his way inside the man's head, now he was simply running wild in there.

Kakashi set his jaw, a surge of anger welling up within him. "Not even if hell froze over," he hit right back, confident that his own pupil didn't have a traitorous bone in his body.

Not Pītā, not in a million years. "Stranger things have happened," though Orochimaru couldn't resist having the last word, attempting to force Kakashi to doubt his seemingly unshakable faith.

He was gone in an instant, fading into the shadows from whence he came and leaving Kakashi in a deafening silence. He felt… he didn't know how he felt; he didn't know _what_ to feel. He'd sworn to Genma that he'd protect Sasuke with his life and he'd been fully ready to do just that, but Kakashi didn't feel relief or contentment as he eyed the boy sleeping like a log.

He felt shame, shame for not being able to match wits with the enemy. Shame for not taking him up on his offer, attempting to apprehend or even kill him, even if it meant death. And shame because Orochimaru was right, he'd been too afraid to engage him twice now whilst a mere twelve year old had stepped up to the plate. He really needed to talk to Pītā about that, about what had happened in the forest.

For now though, Kakashi crouched down and collected Sasuke in his arms. "Let's get you away from conspiring eyes and back to your teammates," he spoke to the air, Sasuke giving no signal or indication that he could hear him at all.

Kakashi was perplexed, how innocent he appeared when he wasn't scowling at everyone and yet… doubt grew in the back of his mind. He knew he'd object but he didn't care, the boy could take it up with his sensei when he was back on his feet. They needed to keep a watchful eye over Sasuke, to protect him from those who wished to take advantage of him and worse… to make sure he didn't do something he'd end up regretting.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Now we can get into the real meat of the prelims, where all the action takes place. I know you guys are probably bored with talking and dialogue but I feel like that's what sets this story apart, you know? How characters interact and what they're thinking and what their motivations are... or am I just talking nonsense? I don't know, let me know.

So to quell any complaints, I'd just like to point out that yes, the fights will be the canon fights, nothing has changed there. However, in order to not repeat what every other author has done with the prelims, I've decided to focus on the fights involving characters exclusive to this story. So Pītā's fight or Karin's fight will be fully written out, they'll be covered in great detail. Whereas canon fights will be briefly touched upon, with details and various reactions but not to the extent of the fights I've orchestrated.

I hope you guys are cool with that, I just didn't want to retread what's already been done but also respect the source material. This way, I can have my cake and eat it too, you know?

So, with so much time away, how'd I do? Have I still got it? Or did I lose it along the way? Don't be shy, let me know and I hope you stick around for the next chapter. Thanks!

 **Guest Reviews:**

 **DocKucCRO:** Yeah, that's a sort of anime tradition I wanted to pay homage to. Pītā will actually encounter several rivals over the course of the story, some friendly, some not so friendly. Thanks for the review!

 **Aztec 13:** Pītā won't be wearing any sort of traditional Spider-Man costume in the story, it just wouldn't fit in this universe and setting. It will be paid homage to though, I have great respect for Spider-Man and his source material. He'll change his look after the time-skip but nothing drastically different, a costume isn't needed in a world where everyone knows his name, you know? Thanks!

 **Nick T:** I plan on adapting quite a few classic Spidey rogues in the story, if you don't see them pre time-skip, chances are they'll appear post time-skip. Anko's comments was a direct reference to the Amazing Spider-Man, glad you caught that, I like slipping stuff like that in. Thanks for reviewing!

 **MewLover9000:** That's very kind of you, I always try to constantly improve my writing and there's no better way than to just keep doing it! Thanks for the review!

 **Yo:** Here's a little more for now, there'll be more very soon as I love writing the story.

 **Awesome:** Thanks for the kind words, here's an update!

 **Nam:** Long overdue, I know but here it is. Hope you enjoyed it!

 **Kai:** No, I didn't give up. Stuff just happens in life, you know? Anyway, story's back on!

 **Nami:** That's some high praise, very much appreciate, man. I do agree that there are some terribly unimaginative stories out there, in fact, I honestly wrote this story as a direct response to there being so many Spider-Man/Naruto crossovers and only about four of them featuring Peter Parker/Spider-Man. I wanted to correct that and do it in a way that highlighted what is so great about both properties, both Spider-Man and Naruto.

As an incredibly amateur writer but a writer nonetheless, it's important for me to remain neutral and impartial when writing. I might favor some characters over others (Sakura's actually one of my favorites, can you tell?) and maybe not be too fond of others but I'd never write a story bashing a character, just seems like a waste of effort. All characters get a fair shake with me, no bias here.

It was important for me to make Pītā fit into this universe, for his powers and abilities to astonish and amaze but also highlight how imperfect he is. He has weaknesses, more mental than physical right now but that'll change eventually. I'm glad you like where Pītā's going, I'm trying to be as consistent as possible with the character. Thanks for the review!

 **coldblue:** 1) I think there's a chance anything could happen in this story, was I sowing the seeds of something between Kakashi and Anko? Possibly, or was Anko simply being Anko? Up to you in the end.

2) They'll be a good few, around fourteen or so I think. I've thought about it, it'll work out, promise.

3) Hey, I'll take any chance to write about Temari. Great character, love her. Again, read it how you want to read it. She could be crushing on him, she could think he's cute or she could be impressed with him. Until said otherwise, it's your call.

4) I'll just say this headed into Pītā's prelim fight, expect bad things to happen.

5) When he's older, yes. Right now, Pītā suffers from an overreliance of his physical capability. He's doing fine so far but eventually, that'll become a crutch.

6) I don't want to spoil it but Pītā knows full well how dangerous and unhinged Kuentin and his team are, specifically Mikio. He won't keep his mouth shut, he's too responsible for that.

7) Absolutely, we delved into those two's frame of mind a little in this chapter and you'll see more of them as time goes on.

Thanks for the questions, coldblue!


	17. BFFs

**Author's Note:** I hope you guys are settled in, this one's a long one. I've been working on this chapter for a while, it's been in the oven but it's done. I know I said that I was going to focus on original fights more than canon fights and that's still true but me being the descriptive nut I am, I just kind of got carried away with it.

Plus, there's a bit of a twist in here somewhere that might surprise a few people, especially if you're familiar with the canon Naruto storyline.

Anyway, I won't keep you. I hope you enjoy the chapter, I know I did writing it. Thanks for reading!

 **Disclaimer:** Spider-Man and all related characters are owned by Marvel and in turn, Disney. Naruto and all related characters are owned by Masashi Kishimoto, I own nothing.

* * *

 **BFFs (** **Chūnin Exams Arc)**

As the victorious Sasuke and defeated Yoroi's match came to an end, another began. Leaf Genin and foreign ninja alike watched with growing anticipation as the electronic screen mounted on the wall rapidly cut through each and every candidate's name, flashing digital yellow at a lightning pace. Until it stopped, summoning the next two competitors.

Hayate gazed around the upper level, alternating between the home and away ninja as he searched for the pair. "Shino Aburame and Zaku Abumi, you're up." He announced, managing to make it through a sentence without hacking up a lung.

Both boys belonging to the names stood still for a moment, all eyes on them as they registered the man's words. "You're in luck; guy's got a major handicap." Kiba opined, his fangs showing as he grinned.

Shino remained silent, his hidden eyes no doubt fixed on his broken-armed opponent across the arena. "I don't need the advantage," he murmured, his calculating tone defending his skill in combat.

The boy's sensei placed a hand on his shoulder and lowered her head; she was hoping to offer a bit of sage advice herself. "No, you don't. But you've got a little leverage here, a clear weakness to exploit should things go south. Be calm, be patient but above all, be smart." Kurenai told him, earning a mute nod in return.

Shino was easily the most intelligent of her bunch, not to slight Hinata or Kiba but their strengths lay elsewhere. The insect-user in her care didn't have the instincts or ferocity of the dog-user or the precision and kekkei genkai of the Hyūga-Clan member, what he did have were the numbers and sharpness to make up for it. Ignoring his reserved intellect (not the genius that Shikamaru was in tactics or that Pītā was in the field of science); Shino was able to control insects, communicate with them and manipulate them to his advantage for the price of housing them inside his body.

It was… unusual to say the least but the Aburame-Clan had been doing it for centuries, so it seemed to have been working wonders for them. "G-good luck, Shino." The smallest member of Team 8 wished her teammate all the best, Hinata had no doubt that he'd give it his all.

Kiba didn't need to encourage him; he knew his quiet friend had the match in the bag. Instead, the feral boy slapped his back as he walked away, slowly making his way down the stone stairs and onto the arena floor. Over on the flip side, Zaku was having trouble reading his soon-to-be opponent. Wearing a coat that covered the lower half of his face and sunglasses that masked his eyes, Shino appeared to have been a closed book.

Still, Zaku wasn't going to lose to yet another wimpy Leaf punk. "Well, looks like it's my turn. Try not to be too amazed when I beat this kid with both hands tied, literally." He boasted, his overinflated ego prompting a heavy roll of the eyes from Kin.

Dosu simply stared at the spiky haired boy, not sure whether he should've admired his perseverance or condemned his self-congratulatory attitude. "That's exactly the kind of talk that led to your two broken arms," he noted, drawing an angry furrow of the brow from his 'ally'.

Zaku fumed, sick and tired of his teammates bringing the touchy subject up. "That was different!" He claimed, earning a sceptical look from the only female present.

Kin scoffed, he was so full of it. "So pathetic, at least own up to it like a man." The girl couldn't help but glance at Dosu as she spoke, if only for a split second.

Purely because Dosu hadn't gotten off lightly either during their time in the forest, he'd been so savagely beaten by Sasuke yet had the sense to realize it. He'd showcased dignity, even despite his injuries and while it was completely unnecessary, he'd even thanked the spider for intervening and potentially saving his life. That took guts, to realize when you were outclassed and defeated.

Zaku on the other hand, hadn't learned a damn thing. "I'll show you just how much of a man I really am," he muttered, a twisted look in his eye as he took a step towards the unconvinced girl.

Dosu would've stepped in, he knew Kin was perfectly capable of defending herself but he would've reflexively told Zaku to back down or he'd have forced him to. He would have, had their sensei not done it for him. 'Onpa' gripped Zaku by the shoulder, not even hesitating as he gave it a small squeeze.

The result was instantaneous, freezing Zaku in his tracks as his teeth clenched together and he hissed in pain. "My patience has a limit, Zaku and right now, you are testing it. I put so much faith in you when I gifted you those augmentations, that faith hasn't been misplaced… has it?" The pale Sound-nin queried, gazing down at the trembling child in his grasp.

Zaku shook his head; unable to nurse the point of pain with his hands on account of his damaged and bound arms. "No, sensei… I'll do better." He squirmed under the piercing stare of the man, his shoulder on fire due to the vice-like grip.

After what felt like an eternity of agony, every nerve in his arm on fire, 'Onpa' finally relinquished his grasp. "That's the spirit," he smiled, creepy even despite his best efforts to appear normal.

With that word of warning, 'Onpa' performed a single hand sign and unceremoniously puffed into a plume of smoke. "Not even sticking around to watch your match, doesn't exactly inspire confidence, does it?" Dosu was quick to point out their master's poorly timed departure but it didn't matter, Zaku was too devoted to him to recognize any shortcomings.

He ignored Dosu's muffled words, wasting no time in breaking away from his teammates and hurrying down the stone steps, eventually coming face-to-face with the Leaf-nin he was fighting. He fixed the kid with a hard stare in the hopes of intimidating him, Shino simply nodded back at him, apparently completely unfazed. Their teammates and sensei looked down from their vantage, waiting to see who would triumph in this little battle.

Pītā recognized the kid as the one who'd almost been folded in half by a severely pissed off Sasuke, there was no doubt in his mind that had he not intervened, two broken arms would've been the least of his worries. Side-eyeing an oddly silent Sakura, Pītā wondered if _he'd_ stopped had he been in Sasuke's sandals. The cut hair, the swollen eye, the cuts, the bruises, the broken look on her face… Pītā had to look away from her and move his line of sight to other more trivial things.

Deep down, he was glad that his first priority had been to make sure his teammates were okay, to make sure _she_ was okay. Had he been solely focused on Zaku, smug, cocky, just spoiling for a fight, Pītā might have fed him his arms, let alone broken them.

Sakura was holding her hands close to her chest, something she did when she felt… unsafe, insecure, a little bit beside herself. She couldn't help it, setting her sights back on Zaku, Dosu and Kin just reminded her of the kind of people that were participating in this competition. She was surrounded by friends, by people she felt comfortable but with just beyond the pale, separated by metres of green stone slabs, stood the enemy.

"Hey," a voice shook her from her worrisome thoughts, leading Sakura to find that Pītā had scooted in close to her, his arms folded and resting on the rusted metal guardrail.

Sakura smiled, it was involuntary as she set her eyes on his dark blue masked face. "Hey yourself," she mimicked as she greeted him back, leaning over to join him in his lazy position.

Pītā cocked his head, wordlessly gesturing to the two combatants down in the arena. "Ready to see this clown get his butt handed to him?" He queried, a hidden smirk emerging on his lips as Sakura reflexively nodded.

She caught herself, a little surprised that she'd been so eager to agree with the boy beside her. Whilst Sakura was anything but perfect, she wasn't the type of person to relish in another's misfortune. But considering just who they were talking about, a part of her wanted for him to have to go through the exact same thing she did.

Abuse, physical, mental, verbal, you name it; he and his little gang of degenerates had inflicted it upon her. Zaku had been all talk, so ready to pounce at the opportunity to kill her, Sakura wondered if the jerk would be just as confident in a one-on-one match with a ninja as competent as Shino. So yeah, maybe there was some kind of grim satisfaction to be had.

* * *

The fight was an interesting one, a short one but interesting all the same. Despite his injuries, Zaku had somehow managed to wrangle back control of one of his defunct arms, gaining the upper hand in the match. Shino appeared to be out of his league, the concussive force of his opponent's Slicing Sound Wave throwing him around like a ragdoll caught in a tornado.

Though, that didn't last long. Even though Zaku had the offensive advantage, Shino played a different game altogether. He'd summoned a few friends to aid him in his fight, a few thousand that is. Small parasitic beetles capable of completely draining their prey's Chakra, a rare species according to the bug-master, flanked Zaku with Shino boxing him in. With only one good arm, Zaku was forced to make a tough choice.

Shino had laid it out pretty clearly, forfeit the match or attempt to fight on. While that seemed like a no-brainer for the Sound-nin, the catch was that if he tried to fend off the beetles, he'd leave himself open to Shino. But on the flipside, if he turned his attention to the insect's puppeteer, said insects would snack down on his Chakra like he was some all you can eat buffet.

Decisions, decisions…

But then, why not simply use two arms instead of one?

It was so obvious, except due to how severely mangled his arms were, no-one had thought of it. "I won't be humiliated, not like last time, not again… never again." Until Zaku himself saw no other option, snaking his other arm free of their makeshift bindings and aiming it at the beetles on his six.

Shino paused; he hadn't been expecting the move. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," but just because he hadn't been expecting it, didn't mean he hadn't planned for it.

Zaku ignored the cryptic warning, yelling with all his might despite the clear and very real pain surging through both of his limbs. "Slicing Sound Wave!" He roared, yet Shino did not move.

The ninja standing on the upper levels gasped, some covering their mouths as their jaws hung open, some wincing as though they were feeling the pain and some almost on the verge of throwing up. Zaku felt it before he saw it, the pressurized air he specialized in not firing out of the openings in the palms of his hands but instead… bursting out of his arms like a gas leak.

Something had been blocking the openings; the pressure building up until finally, his arms couldn't contain it anymore. "Man, glad I didn't eat this morning." Pītā remarked from the stands, having trouble taking his eyes off of the grotesque scene.

Sakura paled at the sight, she'd wanted to see the bully get his just reward but this was far too extreme. Chōji was holding his stomach, his skin a little green as he felt queasy. Even Naruto, a boy that sometimes grossed himself out, was struggling with it. Along with the jet-like air, spouts of crimson blood sprayed onto the stone floor yet throughout it all, Shino didn't even flinch.

"I _did_ warn you," he muttered into the large collar of his coat, watching as Zaku finally saw enough sense to stop his futile attack.

The boy hailing from the mysterious Sound Village hastily inspected his arms, his eyes wide and frantic. "Blood, so much blood…" He repeated, trying to stop the bleeding but it just hurt to move.

Eventually, he found the cause of his pain as he scanned the palms of his hands. "You… you… when?" Zaku could barely form a sentence as his entire world started to spin, a combination of the blood loss and the tiny black beetles crawling out of the tubes' openings seeing to that.

Shino slowly made his way over to the hysteric boy, who seemed to have been struggling just to stay upright. "Before you whipped that second arm out, I couldn't have known you'd somehow use it but… better safe than sorry." He casually explained, though his calm and almost automated demeanour did not change.

The Leaf-nin raised his fist, just about ready to knock the boy's lights out and bring the match to a close. "Oh," that _was_ the plan, until Zaku foiled it by falling backwards.

Shino blankly stared as the boy's eyes rolled into the back of his head, effectively fainting right in front of him. "Well, that was a little anticlimactic." He admitted, lowering his balled fist as Hayate strolled over to call it.

He didn't need to extensively examine Zaku to realize the boy needed immediate medical attention; he quickly motioned for the medical-nin standing by for just such an occasion. "The second match is over, the winner is Shino Aburame." Hayate announced, taking a step back to let the professionals do their job.

Despite the rather graphic victory, the Leaf Genin still cheered for their friend, albeit a little more reserved in their celebration. Shino gazed up at them all; eyeing his teammates and the children he'd grown up with behind those dark sunglasses of his. He didn't show it, he rarely showed anything but he appreciated the support and encouragement… it felt good to win a match.

Pītā shook his head as he spied Shino slowly trudging off the arena and back up the stairs to the upper level, not sure whether he should've been impressed or creeped out by the performance. "Remind me to never get on Shino's bad side," he commented with a hidden smirk, earning a nod of agreement from the boy with fangs.

Kiba spent most of his time with Shino and despite never seeing his bad side; he knew how formidable his friend was. "Yeah, that's him all right, you don't know what's happened until it's already too late." His methods were a bit too underhanded for Kiba's liking, but he couldn't argue with the results.

Shino passed most of the kids by, coming to a halt at the metal guardrail as he reached his team. "Excellent work, Shino." Kurenai congratulated, a proud smile gracing her fair complexion as she looked upon her student.

The mysterious boy simply turned to look at her, offering a tiny nod of acknowledgement in return. "Yeah, Shino, you were—you were amazing!" Hinata lent her meek voice to the chorus of praise, a stark contrast compared to the husky tone of their teacher.

The third match was just about to start but before any student could be summoned, a puff of smoke engulfed the Leaf Genin and their sensei. After a few seconds of covering their mouths and wafting the swirling cloud away, most present were surprised to see that Kakashi had returned. He wasn't alone either, a limp and unconscious Sasuke hanging safely in his arms.

"Kakashi-Sensei, what happened? Is he all right?" Sakura was the first to voice her concern; the image did leave a lot to the imagination after all.

The Jōnin let a hidden smile shine through his usually stoic features, his lone eye closing as he attempted to reassure his pupil. "He's fine, Sakura, just a little tired." He half-lied, half told the truth.

While Sasuke was indeed tired, the sealing of the curse mark had been the catalyst for completely wiping the youngster out. "Let me take him," Genma, the slumbering boy's teacher, requested as he moved to retrieve him.

Kakashi obliged, feeling the weight leave his hands as Genma carefully bundled the boy up into his arms. "It's done; he should be back on his feet whenever he wakes up." He informed, watching as his peer nodded his thanks before turning to deliver Sasuke to his teammates.

Kurenai pitched in, as an elite Jōnin, she'd been informed of the events surrounding Sasuke. "Wouldn't it be wiser to take him to the hospital? Have a squad of Black Ops keep watch over him?" She queried, not fully following Kakashi's line of thought.

The man saw the reason in her idea but ultimately, decided against it. "Trust me, the safest place for Sasuke is in _our_ care, Kurenai." He assured her and truthfully, she had no reason not to give him the benefit of the doubt.

The kids watched as Genma set Sasuke down by the solid stone wall, propping him up into a reclined position before he took his flak jacket off, folding the padded garment up and placing it behind the boy's head. He was breathing quite steadily, his chest rising and falling with each intake of air; he appeared to be in a deep sleep, nothing more than that.

Whilst concern was evident amongst the many Leaf-nin, junior and senior, they had to set their sights back onto the matches. "Kankurō and Misumi Tsurugi, you're up next." The black screen had already flashed through every remaining name in yellow, showcasing the next two combatants who had to step up to the plate.

Hayate had summoned them, one foreign and one apparently hailing from his own home village though… he didn't recognize him. "Aww and I wanted to be first," up on the upper level, Temari pouted, earning a chuckle from her slightly younger brother.

Kankurō, the boy dressed in a predominately black jumpsuit with what looked to have been cat ears on top, shrugged. "You know what they say, fortune favours the awesome." He boasted, stepping away from his siblings only to be stopped in his tracks by a much older man.

Baki of Sunagakure, the siblings' sensei, placed a hand on the teenager's shoulder as he gazed upon him sternly. "Do not be so quick to put yourself on a pedestal, Kankurō. While you're busy focusing on how 'awesome' you are, one of these kids could end up humbling you." He warned, one half of his face covered by a turban-like sheet and the visible half housing two distinctive red markings.

It was hard for the boy to resist a roll of the eyes, so much so that he failed spectacularly. "That's only the seventieth time you've told me," he scoffed, almost able to recite his sensei's words in his sleep at this point.

The smirk on his purple painted face disappeared as soon as Baki frowned, an even deeper frown than usual at least. "Maybe I wouldn't have to repeat myself if you actually listened to me for once," he wasn't overly harsh with his words, more so weary from having to constantly lecture him.

While Temari was certainly a bit of a show-off and Gaara… well, Gaara was an entirely different problem altogether, Kankurō just couldn't let his skill speak for him. He had to prop himself up, had to put down whoever he was facing and one of these days, it really was going to bite him in the backside. There weren't many things worse than defeat at the hands of the enemy, but humiliation was certainly on that very short list.

Kankurō gulped, he was rarely intimidated but his sensei knew just how to get through to him. "Yeah, that's… certainly an idea." He weakly chuckled, slinking away to fight his match.

Gaara watched him leave in silence, he had no words for his older brother out loud but inwardly, the term 'idiot' had crossed his mind on more than one occasion. There was a difference between confidence and arrogance, believing in one's own abilities and assuming you were the strongest person in the room, not just any room but _every_ room.

Misumi and Kankurō congregated before Hayate, a bit of a sure-fire smirk on the latter's face while the former's remained hidden and thus, unreadable. All the Sand Shinobi knew was that his dance partner was all by himself, the last remaining member of his team as Yoroi had lost to Sasuke in rather spectacular fashion and Kabuto hadn't even fought, deciding to back out of the contest as soon as he heard of the prospect of having to fight. Like Kabuto, Misumi also wore glasses but unlike him, sported a dark purple piece of cloth that concealed the rest of his features.

Similar to the other two members of his absent team, he was considerably older than most candidates present. Early twenties at least if Kankurō had to guess, though the age gap wasn't a cause for concern for him. He let a devious smirk emerge on his paint decorated features, Gaara had practically fought all his battles for him back in the forest, and he hadn't even been able to go at it with that spider-kid in the red and blue when he and his siblings had first arrived in the Leaf.

Kankurō was dying to get to it, removing the large person-like object that had been strapped to his back with bandages. Misumi arched an eyebrow at the movement and the boy felt his teeth peak out through his smirk, he didn't blame him for being curious.

* * *

The surprises kept on coming, each ninja that stepped up to the plate offering even more in the way of shock value than the last. Misumi had made the first move, leaping right at his Sand-dwelling opponent and ensnaring him, not with rope or string or any other ninja tool. No, Misumi seemed to have had some kind of mastery over his body, employing the use of his Chakra to stretch and twist it into any given shape.

It was the reason he was wrapped around Kankurō like a straitjacket with a pulse, binding his arms and legs so tightly that the teenager couldn't move an inch. The most dangerous aspect of this technique was the limb corkscrewed around his throat, squeezing tighter and tighter the more the Suna Genin resisted. Kankurō wasn't really sure what the move was about, he'd never experienced anything like it before and was a little too caught up in trying not to get his neck snapped to hear Misumi mutter something about the Soft Body Jutsu.

Among the spectators, Naruto was probably the only one who thought such an unorthodox method of attack was cool. "Whoa! How'd he do that?!" The messy haired blonde was on the edge of his non-existent seat, leaning over the guardrail like an excitable kid come the Rinne Festival.

Meanwhile, most of the other kids thought it was just plain weird. "Gross," Ino spat her tongue out, the mere sight of the rubber-like appendages making her stomach lurch.

Down in the arena, Misumi continued to pour the pressure on. "You have no leverage, no advantage. My advice would be to give up… that, or I could just break your neck and be done with it." He cautioned, the threat clear in his voice as Kankurō grit his teeth and desperately fought against his prison of stretchy skin and bendy bones.

Misumi was looking for an easy out, he was looking for an easy surrender and there was nothing worse than forfeiting a match. "Not… on… your… life…" the Shinobi did not yield to his threats, though he could feel the man's arm continue to tighten around his throat to the point that it hurt just to swallow.

It was only at the last possible second that Pītā realized just what was going to happen, his brow furrowing as he watched Kankurō's eyes widen in fear. "Call the match; he's going to snap his neck!" He yelled, his every instinct screaming at him to fire off a web-line and break things up.

He would have too, had Kakashi not speedily gripped his wrist and prevented any steel silk from flying. "Don't," the hardened ninja barked the one-word order, his lone eye finding resistance in the form of a rebellious glare.

Kakashi knew full well that if he wanted to, Pītā could've yanked himself free with frightening ease. "But—" Though he didn't and the man knew that it was simply out of respect, out of courtesy that he didn't find his own wrist snapped.

"No buts, Pītā. This is not your fight, lower your hand and temper that spirit, boy." The silver haired copy-nin was firm once again, holding steadfast enough to trust that his student wasn't going to do anything stupid.

Like get himself disqualified for interfering in someone else's match, death or no death. "Yes, sensei." The brown haired child relented, refraining from snaking his arm free and waiting for his teacher to let go instead.

Impressive restraint from one so driven, Kakashi was able to tell that it took every fibre of his being to fight against what simply felt natural. Someone was in danger, Pītā wanted to act. It was as simple as that, intentions as pure as they came. But he let his heart take over too often; struggling between the decision to do what was right and to simply let things run their course.

Kakashi almost felt bad, like telling a hawk to stop soaring and stay grounded or more appropriately, telling a spider to stop spinning its gossamer. Against its very nature, a confused look in its beady black eyes, not dissimilar to the conflicted one present in his student's own orbs.

Despite the teacher winning out over his pupil in their small confrontation, Hayate was inclined to agree with the latter's outburst, raising his hand and taking a deep breath in to call it. Though, the proctor simply hadn't been fast enough. They all heard the crunch of bone completely giving; Misumi had snapped his neck, quick and clean.

But none heard it as clear as Temari, the sound ringing in her ears as tears threatened to spill from her teal blue eyes. She watched her brother's head wilt, his previously stiff as a board stance slackening and his arms dangling by his side as Misumi loosened his grip on what was now a corpse.

Curiously, Gaara didn't react. He didn't even flinch; his cold green eyes a window to his blackened soul as he shed no tears over his brother's death. Kids that hadn't even known his sibling were feeling more sorrow than he did, their faces and bodies frozen in fear when presented with death in its purest form. He figured they mustn't have been accustomed to it, of course they weren't. The redheaded child had spent his entire life getting used to the bloodshed, both needless and necessary.

The boy's sensei on the other hand simply closed his eyes and shook his head; Kankuro had informed him about a move he'd been working on prior to the exams. "Looks like he's had enough time to get it right," Baki muttered to himself, his eyes focused solely on the discarded object covered in bandages that his student had been carrying.

For good reason too, as a hand wiggled out from the white wrappings. Misumi bit back a scream as Kankurō's head span around, twisting right around to face him like some kind of demonic entity. The kids gasped, the teachers' intrigue grew as they realized they'd been had. Temari felt like screaming herself when she figured out just what had happened, Misumi hadn't been fighting Kankurō at all.

Not the real one anyway, which was a good thing too as the imposter's face began to crack and crumble. "Really think it was going to be that easy?" It taunted, Kankurō's face falling apart to give way to what appeared to have been solid wood.

Sure enough, the handcrafted visage of a life-size puppet was staring right back at Misumi, nothing but a dead look in its glass eyes as its arms snaked around the man's frame. Using the apparent Leaf-nin's tactics against him, the arms coiled and squeezed until they had him in a death grip. Misumi's eyes bulged behind those spectacles of his, feeling solid wooden limbs contract around his body and force the air right out of his lungs.

"Son of a… he played every last one of us," Pītā murmured, finding it hard not to be impressed as he ran a hand through his messy brown hair.

With a quick tug of the bandages, Kankurō escaped his voluntary prison; he'd been controlling the puppet all along. Which admittedly begged the question, just when had he switched places with his puppet? Not even Baki knew the answer to that, the teen's skill and proficiency with his marionette creations often blurring the line between wood and flesh.

"Controlling the puppet with his Chakra, lying in wait the entire time. It'd be genius if it weren't so cowardly," Might Guy spoke to himself, though his strong and proud tone didn't go unheard.

Kakashi was suddenly standing right by him; his hands stuffed into his pants pockets as he startled Lee. "We can't all be as gung-ho as you, Guy. Some ninja prefer to put their wits to the test, less brawn and more brains." He didn't even bother taking his lone exposed eye off of the arena, irritating his long-time rival with his constant air of coolness.

The only man in the Leaf that was capable of pulling off a green spandex jumpsuit look—and even that was debatable—side-eyed his friend, supressing the underlying envy he felt. "Are you implying that there's no thought in my Taijutsu? No skill? No… talent?" He paused, accentuating his last word as Kakashi slowly turned to look at him.

With his eye half-lidded, the silver haired copy-nin waved his hand dismissively. "Now you're just putting words into my mouth," he dryly responded before strolling back off to join his team, boiling the rather large nosed Shinobi's blood in the meantime.

Guy balled his fist; the man always knew exactly what to say. "Gah! Why is he so cool?!" He forced through gritted teeth, a fire burning in his large round eyes even as he drew confused looks all around.

Tenten resisted the urge to face palm, she'd come to expect such behaviour from her teacher at this point. "What did I do to deserve this?" She moped, half-joking and rather depressingly, half-not.

Back with the combatants in the arena, Misumi was having a far harder time just breathing than he was actually trying to escape the hold the puppet had on him. Kankurō didn't even have to do anything; he just stood there, kept his distance and worked his dangerous toys using his hands as the controls.

The Sand-nin gave a sly grin as he watched his opponent struggle, he'd had the match in the bag the second he'd been summoned. "It's pointless struggling, you're wasting energy just trying to stay alive. You were nice enough to give me a choice so let me return the favour, throw in the towel or my pal here will fold you in half like a deck chair." He laid out the ultimatum as plainly as he could, closing his hand ever so slightly to tighten the vice-like grip his puppet had on Misumi.

The last member of Kabuto's squad nodded profusely, the punishment far too much for him to handle. "I give! Please!" He practically screamed, red in the face as he was being squeezed so tightly, he felt like his head was about to pop off like the cap off of a tube of toothpaste.

As anticlimactic as it was, Kankurō heard what he'd been waiting to hear. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" He couldn't resist rubbing the defeat in, speaking to a grown man in his early twenties as though he was a child learning to walk.

His hand relaxed and with it, so did the puppet. Misumi instantly dropped to the hard surface of the arena floor, the previously animated puppet falling with him like dead weight. Silence set in as Hayate lazily made his way over to the prone man, who was actually still conscious, taking in oxygen like his life depended on it.

Hayate decided for him, if he was having trouble simply drawing a breath, then he was in no condition to continue the fight. "Well, it's settled. The winner of the third match is Kankurō," he coughed a few times as he announced, giving way to not cheers but an appreciative round of applause.

It was hard to deny that the he'd pulled the wool over everyone's eyes; the only person who had been wise to his plan was his sensei, Baki. Even Kankurō's dear sister had been left in the dark, she thought she'd just witnessed her brother have his neck snapped. That explained the tear stained cheeks, the match winner silently mused as he reached the upper level once again.

Naturally, the first one to greet him was also the first one to hug him. "Don't you ever— _ever_ —do that again, do you hear me?!" The moment of embrace was short-lived as Temari pulled out of the hug and unloaded on her brother, yelling at him like a scornful mother.

Kankurō shut one eye as he winced, from the verbal assault on his ears and the specks of spit landing on his face. "I—I thought… I thought you…" the anger died down and gave way to sorrow, her brother could get on her nerves unlike anyone else but she couldn't stand the thought of losing him.

Like they'd lost their mother so many years ago, she didn't want to have to go through that again. "I—I'm sorry, sis. I wasn't thinking, I… that was dumb." Despite his victory, Kankurō just felt like a grade A jerk.

Baki cut in, placing one hand on the lad's shoulder and the other on Temari's. "I think if you're going to fake your death, maybe you should let your sister in on it next time, eh?" He advised, the hysterics and emotion would've certainly been avoided.

Kankurō could only nod while Temari tried to get over the shock, Gaara simply stood at the guardrail, ignoring the pair and waiting forwhomever it was that was going to fight next. He cared not for family drama; he cared even less for 'family'. That wasn't what they were to him; no… they were nuisances at best and liabilities at worst.

* * *

The drama and heavy tension wasn't over as the screen hanging high over the arena flashed to life once again, revealing the two combatants poised to fight in what was only the fourth match of the competition. Child and adult alike froze in place, the ones in the know anyway, as two particular names elevated the proceedings from mandatory physicality to something a little more personal, a little more intimate and a lot more complicated.

Hayate quickly scanned the glowing yellow kanji, his gloomy demeanour doing nothing to change as he turned to all those present. "Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka, your turn to take the stage." He announced, causing virtually every Leaf Genin and Jōnin's eyes to quickly zone in on the pair, like a moth drawn to a lightbulb.

A certain Chūnin was the exception as Iruka was too busy holding his head in his hands, accompanying Anko, Ibiki and the Hokage himself on an even higher balcony as they watched the spectacle unfold. "Why them? Of all of our kids to fight one another, why'd it have to be them?" He murmured to himself, a dash of hopelessness spicing his moping tone.

The source of his misery, two young girls toeing the line between childhood and maturity, were just as shocked as everyone else. Sakura was staring at Ino, Ino was gaping at Sakura, and everyone was struggling to form words that felt appropriate. But for the duo, childhood friends once upon a time, that surprise quickly subsided. Doubt and trepidation gave way to steely resolve, friend or no friend; they were taking part in a competition after all.

Both girls broke away from one another, folding their arms and adopting a deeply set frown. "Man, what are the odds?" Pītā found himself muttering, leaning backwards to rest his upper back against the rusted guardrail.

He heard the metal creek to the right of him before he knew who it was, though the disinterested voice was a dead giveaway. "About one in twenty two," Shikamaru roughly answered, his own charcoal black eyes finding his loud blonde teammate and his pink haired friend.

Pītā nodded, not bothering to turn to look at the strategic genius sharing the rail. He was being rhetorical but hey, it was nice to have a number. Naruto on the other hand, didn't share his comrade's laidback demeanour. He knew the history between the girls just as well as everyone else, concern passing over his usually bright and airy features.

"Sakura, are you gonna be okay?" He voiced his worry, the first to voice anything actually.

The object of his troubled thoughts quirked a pink eyebrow, as though she had no idea what he was talking about. "Why wouldn't I be?" Sakura replied, wholly ignorant and unwilling to acknowledge the elephant in the room… or more accurately, arena.

Naruto was taken aback, his ocean blue eyes suddenly struggling to hold contact with his friend's emerald green orbs. "Well, it's just… you know…" He trailed off, his brash and bombastic tone unusually quiet as he broached something he realized only _he_ was broaching.

Sakura was anything but impatient, though she quickly cut the boy off as he took his sweet time finishing his sentence. "That was a long time ago, Naruto." She stated and the sunny blonde could tell that that was all she wanted to say on the matter, he didn't want to push his luck with her.

Grinning sheepishly and rubbing the back of his neck, something a lot of people did when they were nervous; Naruto chose to let sleeping dogs lie. "Oh… well, good luck out there." He instead spurred her on, giving the girl a small dose of verbal encouragement for her match and earning a grateful smile in kind.

On the other side of the competitive fence, Ino felt a large and firm hand weigh her shoulder down. "Ino, you up for this?" The girl knew who it was before he'd even opened his mouth, the air polluting stench of a cigarette giving him away completely.

The purple dressed Kunoichi directed her icy blue gaze upward, covering her mouth in an effort to shield herself from Asuma's second-hand smoke. "Wouldn't be here if I wasn't, sensei." Her usually loud voice, probably the only other person able to give Naruto a run for his money in that department, was muffled as she talked into the palm of her hand.

The confident answer was more than enough for the Hokage's son, blissfully unaware of his student's severe dislike of his dirty habit. "That's what I like to hear," he heartily patted her small back, sending her on her way when in reality; Ino couldn't escape the unseen smog that accompanied him everywhere fast enough.

Both Chōji and Shikamaru watched the girl take flight, quickly descending down the stairs leading to the arena. "I hope this doesn't upset her too much," the glutton of the team quietly wondered, though if Ino felt such a way, he couldn't tell.

His vastly smarter friend scoffed, leaning next to a preoccupied Pītā as he spoke. "When have you ever seen her upset? Angry? Sure. Upset? That's a foreign concept with Ino," he gave his blunt opinion on the matter and really, he was right.

Ino could get angry; oh boy could she get angry. The boys had seen her happy, bitter, tired, annoyed, every emotion or state of being in the vast spectrum the human condition had to offer. But they'd never really seen her sad, they'd never seen her cry, never seen her drop that vain exterior she wore so well. Maybe that was the real her, maybe there was no mask and Ino just wasn't the type of person to let herself feel blue.

Everyone got sad every once in a while, was Ino really the exception?

Over with Team 7, Sakura was stood with Kakashi as he sought to gift her with a little piece of advice. "A word to the wise, Sakura. As far as I know, Ino isn't that strong in Taijutsu. You've been steadily improving thanks to your late night spars with Pītā, try to capitalize on that." He suggested, urging a rather surprised look out of his only female pupil.

Sakura shied away from the man's one eyed gaze, a faint blush turning her pale cheeks a warm rosy colour. "You know about those?" She squeaked back, while they hadn't exactly sought to hide it, they'd been keeping it between themselves for quite some time.

The pair had agreed a few weeks prior, when they'd sparred and Sakura had inadvertently learned how to water walk, to help each other out with their weakest attributes. For the girl, Pītā had been teaching her how to fight. And for the boy, Sakura had been teaching him how to properly control his Chakra. Progress was slow but steady for both of them, the spider managing to grace the water's surface with his agile presence for seconds at a time. Those seconds became minutes and so on, so forth.

Sakura had learnt some rather unconventional methods in her crude lessons with Pītā, methods which she sometimes didn't necessarily agree with. Specifically how the superhuman wasn't afraid of fighting dirty, but only if a situation called for it. She couldn't imagine such an event, where he'd be backed into a corner and forced to resort to more drastic measures. She had to worry about that but not Pītā, especially with the great power he wielded.

Kakashi paid it no mind; it wasn't as if they were getting up to all sorts of mischief behind his back. "I know everything, Sakura." He teased, receiving a rapid nod from the lass before he sent her on her way.

The young bubbly preteen would have journeyed down the steps at the far end of the upper level, though felt compelled to stop and linger as her green eyes settled on Pītā Pākā. "Wish me luck," she smiled sweetly and the boy knew what was going through her mind as soon as she'd opened her mouth, stopping to talk to him instead of heading off for her match.

She doubted herself, getting some of those pre-performance jitters actors or public speakers got when they had to address large crowds of people, chomping at the bit to hear them wax lyrical. Though, Pītā had never heard of a ninja too nervous and antsy to fight in front of a crowd. But this wasn't just any ninja, this was Sakura. And she wasn't fighting just any opponent, this was Ino.

Quite the conundrum, a puzzle he could've pondered for the better half of a day. "Luck's got nothing to do with it, cherry blossom. Fight just as hard as you did back in the forest and you'll be okay, that's all there is to it." Instead, he opted for his usual approach to difficult subjects.

Blunt and brutally honest yet uplifting and encouraging at the same time, Sakura could not deny that the boy was a twelve year old wordsmith. "I can do that… I can, I can do that." She repeated the positive affirmation, trying to push her anxiety out of her head and replace it with pure confidence.

She wasn't just nervous, she was scared too, maybe even a little excited. Even though she was fighting her former childhood friend, Sakura also saw it as a chance to prove just how strong she'd gotten, just how far she'd come since the gone but not forgotten days of her quiet and meek youth. Where she envied Ino, chased after Sasuke like a lovesick puppy dog and inadvertently pushed others away in the process.

She was going to do this; Sakura was adamant that she was going to win.

* * *

Minutes passed and the two girls faced one another in the arena, stone-faced and their small hands balled into tiny tight fists. They wanted to talk; even an idiot could tell that they had so much to say to each other. But silence swallowed the arena, a staring contest waged on and all eyes were on them. Hayate's in particular were darting between the pair, just about to start the proceedings when he paused, one of them was about to shatter the tensely quiet atmosphere.

Ino, if he remembered correctly. "Just to be clear, no kid gloves." She used the first chance to talk to lay down a ground rule, one which the red dressed girl opposite her was all too willing to oblige.

Sakura nodded, her small and lithe muscles coiled and ready to spring at a moment's notice. "Wouldn't have it any other way, Ino." She concurred; spotting the same amount of preparation in Ino as she premeditatedly leaned forward slightly.

The blonde was just as eager as she was but Sakura had to ask herself, what did Ino have to prove?

"If you two are ready… begin," the Kunoichi didn't have time to even try to match an answer to that mental question, pushing herself into a sprint as Hayate threw his arm down to signal the start of the fight.

Ino matched her move for move, bolting straight for her fellow Leaf-nin with surprising ferocity. Though Sakura wasn't surprised, thoughts of upstaging her friend turned rival were swimming around in her head; she no doubt suspected Ino was experiencing the same thing. It wasn't long before they met, the pair taking seconds to reach one another as they clashed in the centre of the arena.

While both were on the offensive, Sakura just managed to get the first move in, albeit barely. She swung, not as hard as she could but as fast as she could, sacrificing some build up to get the first shot. It glanced Ino as she leaned to one side, teeth gritted and fists balled as she followed up. Her pink haired opponent saw it coming despite the odd angle she found herself in, balancing herself on one foot due to the swing of her fist.

She was no contortionist by any means, she could've never hoped to match the fluidity and agility of her superhuman teammate but she gave it a pretty good go. Sakura span and gripped Ino's arm, using her own momentum against her as she threw her over her shoulder. The thud of a person hitting the ground like a pillowcase full of bricks didn't come as Ino saved herself by landing on her feet; they'd learned to adapt to certain holds and throws in their early days at the Academy.

Though Sakura still had a hold of her, easily remedied by Ino's quick thinking sweep of the legs, forcing the girl to back off and ultimately, let go. The bit of distance gave Ino a chance to switch things up, rapidly reaching into the pouch on her waist to retrieve a handful of sharp shuriken. In all honesty, Sakura hadn't expected it.

Even as the death stars sailed towards her, slicing through the tense air between them like melted butter, she was wondering if she'd fallen and hit her head. "What are you doing?! Deflect or get the hell out of there!" Pītā roared, gripping the metal of the guardrail perhaps a little too tightly as it bent and warped underneath the overwhelming pressure.

At the last possible second, Sakura snapped out of it and reached for her own ninja tool. Not as small or compact but always reliable in a fight, the preteen used her kunai knife to knock each shuriken away with quick and precise movements, though had to follow each and every one of said movements with her eyes. She wasn't like Pītā; she couldn't just react on instinct. Though, even the lad's outburst hadn't been enough to leave her completely unscathed.

The final shuriken found its mark, cutting deep into Sakura's flesh and eliciting a startled cry of pain from the girl in question. Kakashi bristled, though kept his composure. Naruto was on the edge of his non-existent seat, torn between covering his eyes and keeping them firmly locked on the action. Pītā on the other hand shook his head, her head wasn't in the game and she was going to suffer for it.

Sakura's first instinct was to rip it out but she froze, her eyes stinging with tears as blood trickled out from the fresh wound. Unbeknownst to her, Ino had frozen too. She'd expected Sakura to dodge them; it was kids' stuff, just pick a direction and jump clear. But she hadn't, instead she was bleeding, slightly panicked as she attempted to nurse her injury.

Ino didn't know what to do, she'd wanted to win but she'd never wanted to… hurt Sakura. "Ino, move!" Just as Sakura had been earlier, Ino was too lost in her own clouded thoughts to notice the kunai knife speeding right for her.

In a fit of anger and fear and just to _do_ something, Sakura had launched her handheld blade at the girl that had hurt her. Just as Pītā's voice had done seconds earlier, Shikamaru's unusually frantic tone roused Ino from her listless state. Unlike before, it'd been enough to save the girl's skin. Ino dived out of harm's way, the stainless steel metal of the kunai knife colliding with the solid and unyielding stone wall far behind her before it fell to the floor with a clang, the force not great enough to pierce the hardy material.

Transitioning from her dive into a roll, Ino placed a hand on the cold hard floor as she took a moment to catch her breath. That moment was short-lived as she gazed up, those icy blue eyes of her widening a fraction to find that Sakura had closed the distance between them. It was almost admirable, how she'd used the attack to distract from her approach. Had she even intended to hit Ino with the blade?

With barely any time to process her options, Ino took the full brunt of Sakura's sandal-clad foot to the jaw. She wasn't going to lie, it hurt. It hurt like hell, enough to send the girl sprawling and skidding across the floor, the skin of her arms and legs grazed as she was dragged along the stone beneath her by the force of the blow.

She didn't bother rolling, Sakura held off as Ino took her sweet time finding her feet. The cherry blossom held her fists poised and ready while the wild boar (not something Ino was particularly proud of) held her jaw, a definite sharp pain plaguing it. They were stood once again, facing each other once more and silently wondering what the next move would be. Sakura wiped away a bit of sweat that had amassed on her forehead, not employing any grace in the act nor caring enough to either as she hastily used her bare arm.

Ino matched her tomboyish nature, spitting a wad of blood onto the teal green stone floor. Whilst it was true that she'd drawn first blood, Sakura had evened the odds. Both girls had a feeling that the match wasn't going to be as straightforward or as run of the mill as they'd previously thought; most watching certainly shared that feeling too.

"Pītā, they're not messing around." Naruto was the first to give a voice to his thoughts, a mixture of uncertainty and fear escaping his mouth.

Fear for his friend, a teammate that had fought so hard to make it so far. He wasn't sure what he was more afraid of, seeing her get hurt, seeing her hurt Ino or… seeing her lose. Naruto was quick to shake his head and rid himself of that thought; there was no way she'd lose, not after what they'd been through, what _she'd_ been through.

The boy to his left, the boy whose name he'd spoken, had eased up on his wringing of the guardrail. "I don't think I've ever seen them want something this bad before," the spider wondered, both to himself and those around him.

Kakashi found himself agreeing with the lad, he'd never seen Sakura so driven before. "Right motivation, that's all that's needed." He spouted a small piece of wisdom and there was truth to it, it wasn't just a bit of sage advice he'd thrown out for no reason.

Out of all three of his students, Sakura was easily the least driven. She was anxious, unsure of herself, willing to prove herself but lacking the means to do so. Such a far cry from Naruto's brash confidence and Pītā's iron determination, she was the one who had the most growing to do. And she'd been doing it, he'd noticed. Sparring with her most physically capable teammate, spending less time studying the theory of their duties and more time partaking in the practical.

He hadn't been entirely sure of his decision to suggest her for the Chūnin Exams; Kakashi had doubted his decision just as Sakura doubted herself. But if there was anything that would put those fears to rest, it was the fight he was witnessing. Not as inventive as Naruto, nowhere near as graceful as Pītā but it was Sakura in her purest form, fighting tooth and nail to prove herself.

Of course, not everyone recognized this. "They can't want it that much; I've never seen something so pitiful. Surely this isn't how all Kunoichi fight, is it?" Neji, the Hyūga-Clan prodigy, bluntly stated with his arms folded and an ever present frown lining his lips.

The only girl on his team, the brunette with the buns in her hair, closed her eyes for a moment. "Do you ever think before you speak? You know that's not true, Neji." Tenten argued, just as she did with her difficult teammate almost every hour of every day.

Neji scoffed, directing his lavender purple eyes at the girl in the pink blouse. "Do I? Can't say you've done much to impress me either, Tenten and we've been teammates for over a year now." He challenged, not afraid to admit that his ally's abilities leaved something to be desired.

Which wasn't a bad thing, criticism was a key component in leading someone to better themselves. "Don't remind me, jerk." But just the way the boy had worded it, the bluntness of his statement, made Tenten frown as she pulled her brown eyes off of him and muttered the insult.

Back in the arena and in the midst of a fight, both Sakura and Ino took their sweet time in catching their breath. "You've… gotten faster," the former noted, her chest heaving and her slender arm trembling from the pain of the shuriken lodged in it.

Dried blood streaked from Ino's frowning mouth to her chin, for once in her short life, she didn't particularly care about cleaning herself up. "And you've gotten tougher, still trailing behind though… as always." She poked, a smirk pulling one side of her lips back up.

Sakura bristled slightly; she was trying to get under her skin. "Things have changed, Ino… I've changed." She refused to let it work, instead standing resolute and confident.

The unshakable response served to shake Ino, the girl adopted a furrowed brow as she pointed an angry finger at her opponent. "Yeah, well I've changed too!" She bit back, admittedly putting not much thought into the response.

She simply reacted, while Sakura let the gears turn inside that pretty pink head of hers. "Really? Because as far as I'm concerned, you're the same person you've always been." The preteen prodded back, hoping to keep her former friend's emotions high.

Ino took the bait, all too easy really. "What's that supposed to mean?!" She hollered back, quite frankly losing her already non-existent patience with the ninja.

Sakura obliged, elaborating further with a clear intention in mind. "It means that unlike you, I've got more things on my mind than just Sasuke." She knew exactly what she was doing, what Ino had tried and failed to do.

Unlike Ino, Sakura had had the opportunity to watch a master at work. She was trying to throw Ino off, make her angry, make her sad and make her feel all types of things. Just like Pītā, the clown that had perfected the art of getting inside a person's head. She'd have to thank him for all of the unintentional lessons he'd given her after the match, if things panned out the way she hoped they would.

However, rather unexpectedly, Ino didn't let her blood boil or her top blow. "Ha, that'll be the day." Instead, she deflected and rather expertly too.

It almost made Sakura lose it, almost threw her off her game. "I won't fight with you over him anymore, Ino." She doubled down, knowing full well what a sore subject the boy was for the pair of them.

Ino balled her fists, she couldn't believe Sakura was going _there_ of all places. "Why the sudden change of heart? You're the one that threw our friendship away over a boy," but two could play at that game, as Ino accused the girl of setting things into motion.

Sakura felt herself crack, a chink in the armour she'd worn so well starting to show. "Well, it's not like you objected to it!" She screamed back, refusing to accept the full blame of their broken down relationship.

Ino wanted to throttle her, taking a step towards her as she felt her pale face grow red. "Because I was young and stupid! Too stupid to see what was really important! I… I mean… I…" The girl stuttered, failing to catch herself in her outburst of anger.

Both children paused, that had come from a pretty deep place. "Ino…" Sakura spoke her name softly, her voice full of confusion as silence threatened to drive them insane.

And all of a sudden, Ino wanted to cry. "Just shut up and fight!" So many eyes on her, so many eyes on them as the damn threatened to burst.

Instead, she turned that raw anger and hysterical sadness into a spring pad, charging right for Sakura completely out of the blue. She scrambled back instinctively, bringing her forearm up to block an attempted swing at her face. It was wild, telegraphed and imprecise. That didn't stop the second blow from connecting as Sakura caught a fist in the stomach, drilling into her and knocking the wind right out of her lungs.

Kakashi, Naruto and Pītā all reflexively winced as the girl dropped to her bare knees, scraping her skin across the teal green stone floor. She had to steady herself, her hands finding a horizontal surface and keeping her level as she almost threw up, gagging for air like her life depended on it. As spit and saliva dripped from her mouth, Sakura had absolutely no time to react as she felt a tight grip grasp her hair.

Yanking the girl's head back quite roughly, Ino stared down at the injured Kunoichi, her fingers full of short pink locks. "You want to win this, Sakura, I can tell… but I want it more." Without wasting any time, Ino raised her free hand and balled it into a fist.

There was no mistaking her intentions; it was evident in those icy blue eyes of hers, her body language, how tense she was. Ino wanted the fight to be over as quick as possible, she was probably just as tired as Sakura. They'd been non-stop fighting ever since they'd set foot in the Forest of Death and the brief reprieve granted to them in the tower hadn't allowed them to fully recover, they'd only been fighting for a few exhausting minutes but it felt more akin to a few solid hours.

Sakura wanted the fight to be over too but she was in no position to end it and that was the only way the fight was going to end, on her terms and no one else's. "Like… like hell you do," she breathed out; using what little energy she had left to get in a quick elbow to an unsuspecting Ino.

She'd dropped her guard; she thought she had Sakura right where she wanted her. Ino mentally cursed as she doubled over, lurching forward as her hands immediately ceased whatever it was they were doing to nurse her own stomach. Animals were most dangerous when backed into a corner, when given no other option but to fight or die.

Sakura was no animal, but she'd reacted in a similar way when given the option to either win or lose. Still on her knees on the floor, Sakura wasted no time in taking advantage of the leg up she'd gained. The girl rolled backwards in order to put some distance between her distracted opponent, though took the chance to get a clean hit in as she did. Her foot caught the underneath of Ino's chin, forcing her on her backside as Sakura landed on her feet.

She was about to press her advantage but saw the desperate look on Ino's pained face, while she couldn't sense danger like her talkative teammate, it was enough of an indication to force Sakura to leap to one side. Ino had whipped off a couple more razor-sharp shuriken, her aim holding true despite the pain she was in. Though, she hadn't really been trying to hit her former friend.

No, Ino needed to buy some time to get back on her feet. Sakura had leaped clear of the second set of ninja tools, escaping unscathed unlike last time. She dived through the air, feeling bold enough to risk a shaky handspring in order to right herself once more. She was back on her feet, ready to go and low and behold, so was Ino. The two girls stared at one another for a moment, as if they were trying to figure each other out. Their chests heaving, their skin glistening with sweat, they paid no attention to the prying eyes watching and judging their every movement.

It was like that for a moment or two, nothing but the sounds of heavy breathing filling the air before Ino decided to clear it away with the sound of her voice. "How?! How are you this good?! Just as good as me!" She exclaimed, demanding to know just why she wasn't having such an easy time of it.

Once upon a time, Sakura was a shy, meek and introverted child that lacked the confidence to better herself. Ino had been the way she was since day one, pretty, talented and determined to get what she wanted in life. She'd felt sorry for the girl the other girls picked on, had taken her under her wing and convinced her to open up. She knew the moment Sakura had sworn that she'd surpass her that her kindness would come back to bite her in the butt, a small part of her wishing she'd never bothered in the first place.

But she had and here they were, locking horns and stalemating one another. "Would you believe me if I said 'training'? While you're busy maintaining those long blonde locks of yours, I've been down in the dirt every single day trying to better myself." Sakura explained, citing her recent relentless training as something she was particularly proud of.

Whether it was her intention or not, Ino felt insulted by the girl's comments. "You think you're somehow better than me just because you cut your hair, billboard brow?! Well, two can play at that game!" She sneered, unsheathing her own kunai knife from the holster strapped to her thigh.

Sakura was taken aback, caught completely by surprise as Ino reached up to grip her blonde ponytail. She wasn't the only one either, most people watching were on the edge of their non-existent seats as Ino dragged the blade right across the strands of hair held tightly in her hand. She'd watched Sakura do it herself back in the forest, back when she hadn't had a choice but to cut it in order to squeeze herself out of a sticky situation.

But Ino had a choice, there was no-one pressuring her but herself. Without even hesitating, she callously threw the hair she'd cut right at Sakura. Of course, it being hair and all, all it did was harmlessly float to the floor, leaving a trail of pale blonde strands between them. Sakura hadn't quite collected herself as she stared at the discarded hair, still too stunned to even mutter a word.

"Is this a thing now? Are we all gonna have to start cutting our hair in order to one-up each other?" Pītā pointed out the recent pattern that had emerged, starting with Sakura and being embraced by Ino, even despite the tension and conflict down in the arena.

Shikamaru paid the little joke no mind, instead trying his hardest not to rip his own hair out through sheer confusion. "She's lost her mind, how is _that_ going to help her?" He voiced the question, not expecting an answer and not getting one either.

The boy's sensei chimed in, for all the good it did. "Yeah, I'm not following either." Asuma didn't have much to say as he quirked an eyebrow, a lit cigarette hanging from his lips as he tried to figure out his student's game plan.

Back in the thick of it, Sakura was still struggling to get over her initial shock. "Ino, why… why would you—?" But she did, confused words just barely forming in her adolescent mind before they escaped her mouth.

Ino was trembling; it'd taken so much for her to go through with what she'd just done. "To show you that I'm not messing around here, that I'm not some petty brat that only cares about her looks." Not effort or energy but courage, the conviction to show and not just tell.

Sakura wanted to believe her, she truly did. "It'd be a different story if Sasuke was awake," but a part of her wasn't convinced, they'd both grown their hair out just to catch the boy's eye once upon a time after all.

Ino felt her teeth grinding together as Sakura continued to push her buttons, a feat not many others could accomplish so easily. "This isn't about Sasuke!" She screamed, wanting to pull her hair out with her bare hands let alone cut it.

But it did nothing to faze Sakura, a thin line decorating her lips as she calmly replied. "It's always about Sasuke," she spoke honestly, having enough foresight to recognize that no matter what happened between the two of them, it always somehow circled back to the Uchiha orphan.

Not just Ino but Sakura too, they'd had raven hair and jet black eyes on the brain ever since they were five. "Ugh! That's it!" Ino exploded, like a whistling kettle reaching its boiling point.

Though she didn't rush her opponent or employ the use of more deadly weaponry, electing to instead raise her hands in front of her face to perform a hand sign. Sakura froze for a moment, while she wasn't totally familiar with everything Ino could do; the hand sign for the girl's signature technique had been imprinted in her mind ever since she'd seen it.

It was the same Jutsu she'd used back in the forest on her behalf, taking possession of Kin and almost getting herself killed in the meantime. "What is that girl doing? It's used for reconnaissance, not combat." Asuma grilled the air, unable to actually grill the girl that was serving to confound him more and more as the fight went on.

Shikamaru was of the same mind as his mentor, the boy was surprisingly frustrated despite his lazy and laidback demeanour. "She's only supposed to use that with my Shadow Possession Jutsu, she'll never land it." He observed, recalling the exact way they'd worked together to make it work back when facing off against those Sound-nin.

Chōji on the other hand, was more worried than he was annoyed. "They're too evenly matched, she's out of options and Sakura keeps pushing her." In fact, the rotund boy was so enveloped in his teammate's plight; he'd almost forgotten how hungry he was.

Naruto didn't know what to think but based on what he'd heard, it had to spell good news for his friend. "Sakura's got this in the bag… right, sensei?" Of course, there was always that little nagging doubt in the back of his mind.

The silver haired Jōnin found himself agreeing with the youth, though tried not to get ahead of himself. "We can't be sure until the match is well and truly over… that being said, that Jutsu is notoriously slow. As long as Sakura keeps moving, I don't see her losing this fight." He analysed, subtly glancing over at the most talkative member of their squad for his input.

Not a word came from Pītā's mask covered mouth, not a sarcastic comment or a witty one-liner. For once, the boy was too wrapped up in something to offer his unique brand of quippy commentary. His hands were clamped around the metal guardrail like vices made of durable flesh and dense bone, his sharp eyes fixed securely on both the blonde and pink haired girls down in the arena.

Like Pītā, Sakura figured that this was the moment of truth. "If you're committing to that, you'd better not miss." She uttered the piece of advice wrapped up in a word of warning, Ino failing would've granted her the perfect opening to finish the fight once and for all.

Ino didn't answer, not verbally anyway. She had Sakura in her sights, narrowing those icy blue eyes of hers as she stared right through the opening in her hand sign. She was waiting for the right moment; she had to time it just right, not a second too early or too late. Sakura felt the sweat dripping off of her, rolling past her eyes and down her face as she tensed up, ready to move.

The girl tried to bolt, one last burst of energy on her part as fatigue crept up on her bit by bit. But unexpectedly, Sakura found herself unable to move. As she struggled against some unseen force keeping her tethered in place, Ino smirked behind the hand sign. She was the only person that knew what had happened, save for two people in the stands in possession of a unique gift.

Both Neji and Hinata had activated their respective Byakugan as soon as they'd spotted something that wasn't quite kosher, the latter's lavender eyes widening as the former folded his arms. "Lines of Chakra, flowing through the strands of Ino's hair on the floor and pinning Sakura in place… clever." He praised, earning a quirk of the eyebrow from Tenten that went largely unnoticed.

It was the first time she'd ever heard him praise anyone, so the surprise was entirely warranted. "Not just clever, ingenious. But then that means—" The third member of their team, Lee, was interrupted as he slowly pieced together just what Ino had been planning all along.

Much quicker to the draw, Shikamaru gave a voice to the thought that was on everyone's mind. "Sakura's done for," he bleakly stated, the excitement that should've been in his voice nowhere in sight.

Not because he wanted Ino to lose or Sakura to win, but because it was tough rooting for a teammate when she was fighting a friend. Of course, in the end, he had to stick by his ally and hope that she made the best of the bad situation she'd been handed.

"Sorry it's come to this, Sakura but like I said, I don't want to lose." Ino told the virtually paralyzed girl, almost trying to justify the choice she was about to make.

Sakura felt the fear creeping up on her, the anxiousness swelling within her as she desperately tried to free herself. "Ino—" She spoke the one word sentence, uttering her childhood friend's name before being cut off by the girl in question.

Ino didn't let her finish, she didn't know whether Sakura was going to try and talk her out of it or try to distract her long enough to think of something else. "Ninja Art: Mind Transfer Jutsu!" Ultimately, it didn't matter as she put everything she had into one focused use of her clan's signature technique.

Sakura suddenly slumped, her arms lying slack against her torso as she stood there, motionless like a life-sized doll. Ino dropped to the cold stone floor, hitting it with her knees and sitting there with her head bowed, just as despondent as Sakura was. All eyes were on the pair, including Hayate's as they rapidly darted between the two unmoving subjects, just waiting for one of them to say something, do something.

Pītā set his jaw, letting out a bout of oxygen he hadn't even known he'd been holding in. "Fight's over," he mumbled into the fabric of his mask, the unwelcome result hanging over him like a figurative raincloud.

He'd called it early judging from the looks he was getting but he knew, even as much as he wanted to deny it. "No… no, Sakura's still in there! She can still win this!" That denial was trounced by Naruto's own, leaning over the guardrail as he yelled for dear life.

And maybe he was right, maybe things weren't so bleak. Maybe Ino had missed, maybe she hadn't done it right, maybe Sakura had resisted. Or maybe he was just trying to stave off the inevitable, unwilling to see that his team was fallible, that they didn't always win.

Unfortunately, Pītā's worst case thoughts were confirmed as Sakura raised her previously wilted head and smirked. "Time to forfeit, Sakura." The girl spoke and she sounded like Sakura, she looked like Sakura but they all knew that she wasn't Sakura.

Ino had hijacked the girl's body using her Jutsu; effectively forcing her spirit to one side as she worked Sakura almost as well as Kankurō worked that creepy puppet of his. "What's she doing?!" Naruto badgered, turning to everyone and anyone that'd provide an answer to his manic question as Sakura's hand slowly started to rise.

Pītā shook his head; the absolute gall on this girl was nothing short of astonishing. "She's going to make Sakura forfeit," he shortly explained, oddly straightforward and quiet in his response.

A response Naruto didn't like the sound of, even if it was the God's honest truth. "No! She can't do that!" The twelve year old denied it, his bright blue eyes wanting to look away but also firmly glued on the unfolding drama.

Kakashi had kept characteristically quiet, a disappointed frown lining his hidden lips. "She can, Naruto. No holds barred, remember?" Though he broke the spell of silence in order to remind his student of the rules, the very rules he'd been told about at the start of the preliminary matches.

It wasn't helpful, he knew that. But he'd rather have spouted useless truths than dwelled on his student's apparent defeat, especially after she'd worked so hard for it. Whether Naruto had even been paying attention to him was a different story altogether, almost scaling the metal guardrail as he shouted and screamed for his out of commission teammate.

"Sakura, if you can hear me, you have to snap out of it!" The blonde boy bellowed, unaware of the fact that he was about to fall from the upper level.

He would have, had Pītā not gripped his orange and blue jacket. "Naruto," the preteen spoke his name quite seriously, yanking him back down to make sure his feet were grounded once more.

Of course, he hadn't expected the kid to pull his arm away from him and get all up in his face. "Why aren't you helping?! We have to get through to her and you're just standing there!" Naruto accused, yelling so flippantly, that he failed to notice the fact that he'd spit in Pītā's face.

The spider shut his brown eyes and calmly wiped the bit of foreign saliva from his luckily mask covered cheek, he thought he was used to the overwhelming sound of the boy's voice at that point. "I don't know if we can, have you ever seen anyone break out of that Jutsu? I know I haven't," he answered, retaining his calm and level-headed demeanour.

Even as his friend looked like he was about to start hyperventilating, his chest heaving and arms refusing to stay still as he wanted to do something, anything to help his teammate. "That doesn't mean it can't be done!" He persisted, showcasing an absolute refusal to lose hope even in the bleakest of situations.

A quality Pītā admired, admittedly. "Fine, what do you want me to do? Yell and scream like you until something changes?" He fired back, surprised when he momentarily silenced his bombastic pal.

Key word, momentarily. "It'd be a start, sure." Naruto replied, actually speaking in a tone that the average person employed in their day to day lives.

Pītā blinked, the way he jumped from nought to sixty was like dealing with an excitable puppy. "I'm convinced," but instead of fighting it, he simply chose to go with the flow.

In the end, Naruto was right. No matter how bad it looked, they had to try. Otherwise, what was the point?

Both boys hung precariously over the guardrail, yelling like maniacs as those watching struggled between keeping their attention on the fight itself and the comedic sideshow that had just opened up. "Blondie's right, Sakura! You're in there somewhere and you haven't let go just yet!" Pītā shouted, watching as the girl using his friend's body became increasingly irritated.

Naruto followed up, his scratchy tone serving to make that irritation all the more severe. "Come on, Sakura! You worked so hard to get here, you fought so hard! Don't throw it all away now!" The boy bellowed, desperately trying to get through to his teammate in turmoil.

Ino had had enough, gritting her teeth together as she stamped a foot that wasn't her own onto the ground. "Will you two shut up?! God, I can barely hear myself think!" She screamed right back at the pair, using Sakura's voice to silence them for a brief second.

Of course, silence never stuck when it came to either one of them. "Implying you even think at all," Pītā snarked, a smirk hiding behind that dark blue mask of his as Ino simmered in place, too preoccupied with her Jutsu to even think of a rebuttal.

"You're stronger than her, Sakura!" Naruto didn't bother with a comeback either, instead pushing on and providing some much needed aid for a girl lost in her own body.

It was frustrating, even Pītā wanted to just leap down there and shake her silly. "Sakura, listen to him, listen to _me_! You can do this, take back control! Don't think, just do!" But he had to settle for compelling words coupled with a loud delivery; anything more would've meant disqualification.

Anyone else would've deemed it a lost cause, Pītā practically had. But slowly but surely, the encouragement had its intended effect. Ino felt herself slipping, struggling to do something as simple as move the fingers of her target's body. The impossible was happening, Sakura was waking up. Ino panicked, having to focus all of her attention on squashing any potential comeback. They'd been pulling and pushing each other the entire duration of the fight, like a more serious game of tug of war, constantly snatching victory away from each other.

Well, no more. "No way, not happening. I've spent years working on this technique; no-one's been able to shake themselves out of it. Nobody's ever overpowered me and that does not change today," Ino spoke out loud, for all to hear.

But her words were specifically intended for the girl trying to wrestle back control and admittedly, Ino had to focus far more than she'd ever care to admit. She forced Sakura back out, assuming full control once again and letting everyone know she'd done so by raising her hand. Pītā's heart sank; it was well and truly over.

"You've grown, Sakura. You're not the flower waiting to bloom like when we were kids, I see that now. But you've still got some way to go before you surpass me," there was a sense of admiration in that tone of voice that wasn't her own but ultimately, a sense of finality.

There was nothing else left to say, no more moves to make or aces in the hole to fall back on. "I, Sakura Haruno, withdraw from the match." It was almost funny, how such a short sentence had such huge ramifications.

It was dead silent as Hayate blinked; he thought the match was going to go on forever. "I… very well, by admission of surrender, the winner of the fourth match is Ino Yamanaka." He announced the inevitable, a result he hadn't been sure of until the girl had played her Hail Mary.

There was no cheering, no excited whooping and boundless energy. Just a quiet round of applause for a match well fought as while a friend had won, another friend had also lost. Naruto's shoulders slumped, clearly upset with the result. Pītā ran a hand through his messy brown hair, messing it up all the more as the need to move overwhelmed him.

Kakashi simply sighed, a solemn one but also one of acceptance. "She fought valiantly, that's all anyone could've asked of her." He tried to alleviate the defeat and the disappointment with a few encouraging words, applying a soft hand to the shoulders of the boy on the verge of sulking.

"I wanted her to win," the prankster, with his whisker decorated cheeks, glumly murmured.

Pītā however was quiet, uncharacteristically so, Kakashi noted. Leaning on the guardrail, his eyes were still fixed on the arena below, even with the fight seemingly over. Like he was expecting something, waiting for something. That something came when Hayate ordered Ino to vacate her opponent's body, earning a short, compliant nod in return.

A hand sign and a single word command was all it took, allowing Ino to move out of her temporary home in another person's body and into her own humble abode. The pale blonde was stable on her knees when she felt her spirit re-enter her, a little groggy but no worse for wear. Sakura on the other hand, was still out cold.

She fell, tipping over like a tree felled in a forest. She would've hit the floor; she should've hit the floor. But Pītā, well… Pītā had been waiting. Kakashi felt the movement, felt the sudden surge of wind. No sooner than he'd felt it, he saw the boy reappear right behind Sakura, catching her before her head could make contact with the ground. Before anyone else even had the chance to move, before anyone else had even thought to move.

Nothing but a small dust cloud was left where he'd been standing, kicked up by blistering speeds of a superhuman. Kakashi shook his head; he hadn't even had the chance to grip the boy like before. Too fast, even for him.

"I gotcha," the spider muttered, to nobody but himself as the girl in his arms was still soundly out of it.

Pītā looked over to the winner of the battle, just about able to climb to her feet as her head cleared and she got used to the feeling of her own limbs once again. "Is she okay?" He heard her voice, heard the concern in it even despite what she'd done.

What she'd had to do, it was a fight after all. He also heard the footsteps of the medical-nin closing in on him; they'd been waiting on the side-lines for the match to finally finish. He knew why, no doubt to check on both but mainly to treat Sakura's arm. The shuriken was still firmly lodged in there, blood leaking out and staining her pale skin. She'd fought all this time, even with such an obvious injury.

Pītā smirked, she was tough.

He wordlessly handed the girl over to the medics, they were trained for just such an occasion and he was not. "They'll clean her arm, patch her up. She'll be fine, maybe a little sore all things considered. Good match by the way," the boy spoke, quite aware of the presence stood by his side without needing to look at her.

Ino was too busy watching the medical-nin load Sakura up onto a stretcher—just to move her easier—to fully listen to what he'd said, her eyebrows and stomach knotted up while she wasn't sure why. "Yeah," was all she could manage, absent minded and clearly thinking about other things.

Pītā quirked an eyebrow, now she was being weird. "Something wrong? Feel bad about winning all of a sudden?" He probed, hoping to coax whatever was bothering her out of her.

Suffice to say, it worked like a charm. "No, of course not! I just… she really wanted it, Pītā." A sudden burst of anger shrank just as quickly as it had reared its head, swallowed by remorse and pity.

Pītā tilted his head; he wasn't sure how to take that. He didn't want Ino pitying Sakura; he didn't want her feeling bad about her victory. That wasn't right; it took something away from both parties. It made Ino's win feel cheap, like she didn't want to win but had to. It made Sakura's effort seem trivial, like a child that had tried and failed to do simple math.

Better luck next time, sport.

A hand found its way to Ino's shoulder, firm and demanding that she look at the owner. "Don't feel sorry for her, Ino. Take the win but for God's sake, let her keep her dignity." Pītā advised, initially surprising the Kunoichi.

It was blunt, it was brutal and it caught Ino completely off-guard. But it was honest, genuine and ultimately, he was right. Sakura had given her all, just as she had. They'd wordlessly agreed to meet each other not as former friends or peers but as opponents, equal in standing and ensuring a fair fight. No pity, no sympathy, no sorrow. Just respect, respect for a match well fought.

She didn't have the words to tell him that he was right; she doubted she'd even want to say he was right out loud. Thankfully, she didn't have to. Pītā made things easier for Ino as he left, his hand slipping from her shoulder and finding its way back into his pants pocket. He was headed for the stairs to the upper level, to re-join his friends once more.

Ino on the other hand, didn't need to be convinced or encouraged to walk the other way. Right towards the medical-nin treating her former friend's injuries, no… treating her friend's injuries. She'd sit with her; keep her company until she woke up. A tournament wasn't exactly the best place to air out all their dirty laundry but she wanted to talk, the last time they'd had anything resembling a conversation was back in the forest and even then, she felt like she'd been forced into it by Pītā. Beyond that… she couldn't remember the last time they'd spoken, without coming to blows, without trying to tear each other's hair out over a boy.

Ino gingerly took a seat right by the unconscious girl, watching as the medics carried out their duty and took care of her. She meant what she'd said, about Sakura changing, about how she'd impressed her. It hadn't been enough but still, progress of any kind was still progress.

"Tenten Tanaka and Temari, please make your way down to the arena." Hayate wasted no time in announcing the next set of combatants, two more girls squaring off against one another curiously.

The preliminary fights went on, the world couldn't stop for a broken friendship that had a chance at slowly piecing itself back together. But Ino could, she'd fought her battle and had all the time in the world. Whether Sakura was willing to listen though, that was another story altogether.

* * *

"Ah! Finally! One of my students gets to step up to the plate! Get out there, Tenten and show them how it's done!" When Pītā re-joined his friends and peers, he was greeted by the rather obnoxious sound of Might Guy, sensei to Team 3.

He was eager, that was fairly obvious to the lad. He was so enthused by the announcement that anyone would've been forgiven for thinking he was the one that was about to enter the arena, all pumped up and practically jumping on the spot. He smirked as the girl in question held her face in her hands, a grown man acting as a cheerleader on one side of her and his younger lookalike grinning on the other side.

The brunette was mortified, muttering something into her hands that went unheard by most present. "So embarrassing," barring Pītā and Kiba of course, the only two boys with enhanced senses.

The last remaining piece of the puzzle that was their mismatched squad remained indifferent, he'd had all year to get used to the antics of his sensei and the boy he seemed to favour. "Just try not to disappoint," Neji spoke, his lavender eyes shut and arms folded over his chest.

Pītā narrowed his, he might've been jumping the gun but he wasn't sure if that had been some subtle jab at the fight they'd just witnessed. "Gee, thanks for the support." Tenten didn't like it either, though chose to respond with a hefty dose of sarcasm, delivered in a pitch perfect deadpan tone.

Lee had stopped grinning; those ridiculously white teeth of his disappearing behind a frown. "There's no way Tenten will disappoint! She's been training hard and this is the moment all of that training pays off, you'll see!" He stood by his teammate, those thick bushy eyebrows of his furrowing as he pointed a bandaged finger right at the naysayer of the group.

The Hyūga with a stick up his butt didn't even bother opening his eyes; Lee was always quick to overreact. "Thank you, Lee." Tenten appreciated it, even if the boy was a little over the top sometimes with his emotions.

But that was just how things were on Team 3, if Guy and Lee weren't crying in sorrow, they were crying in joy. "That's the spirit, Lee! Shower her with support, fuel her drive with your youth and she'll be sure to win!" Guy blurted, pumping his fist in the air as Tenten quickly broke away from the already celebrating pair.

As though the fight was already over, as though she'd already won. "Between the wonder twins and bright eyes over there, looks like you're stuck between two extremes." Pītā observed, finding his own team's eccentricities pale in comparison.

Tenten offered the boy an exasperated sigh as she passed him by on her way to the stairs, adopting a wary smile in the meantime. "It balances itself out," she replied honestly, finding herself often adopting the neutral role in the squad's dynamic.

Not too 'out there' and not too 'withdrawn', basically a regular person at the end of the day. "Rooting for ya," the brunette heard as she turned, offering the spider an appreciative wink before headed down to the arena.

The only girl in the entire building to hail from the Sand Village watched as her opponent calmly made her way down to the arena, she wasn't in much of a hurry herself. "You good, sis?" Something Kankurō had picked up on, though it wasn't hard considering he'd been the cause of her sudden change in mood.

She'd dropped the playfully fierce Kunoichi act, the cracks in her armour showing as her show off of a brother had almost driven her to have a panic attack. Of course, all of that could've been avoided had he simply filled them in on his little stunt. But no, not Kankurō. He was the complete opposite of her baby brother; he had to make a show of things before actually getting the job done.

He was cocky, stubborn and drove Temari up the wall. "I'll live… can't say the same for her though," the sandy blonde took a deep breath and adopted that sultry smile once more.

The shields were back up, the doors were shut and her tear ducts had been thoroughly tapped. "Good attitude," Baki nodded his approval, watching as his only female student marched away from him and her brothers.

She didn't even bother looking to Gaara for any show of support, what was the point when he'd simply do what he always did. He'd scowl at her with those tanuki-like eyes, muttering something horrible about crushing his enemies and bathing in their blood. Temari was as hard core as they came but it was no secret her little brother had his issues, she just wondered how much of those issues were actually his and how much had manifested due to the… thing dwelling inside of him.

* * *

The fight had gotten off to a rather slow start; curiously neither Tenten nor Temari had elected to make the first move. Not right away at least, almost as if they were sizing each other up and trying to detect any weaknesses to exploit right off the bat. The Leaf-nin had noticed the way Temari had lost it when she thought her brother had been killed but she wasn't sure what good that information would do in a fight against her, narrowing her deep brown eyes as her opponent simply stood there and watched.

With a hand on her waist, noticeably curvier due to her older age, Temari couldn't help but smirk. "No rush," she lightly teased, spying a frown emerging on Tenten's lips.

She was patronising her and she didn't like it one bit, if she wasn't going to make the first move then Tenten would. "Let's see how you handle these!" The weapons expert declared, leaping as high as she could into the air as she reached into the pouch on her waist to fetch a handful of shuriken.

She let them fly, watching them sawblade through the space between them as she came back down to Earth. "With practised ease," Temari muttered to herself, curiously not moving an inch even as the deadly projectiles all fell around her.

They'd somehow strayed from their target, being thrown hard enough to embed themselves into the stone floor. "What?! I missed?! How did I miss?!" Tenten blurted, the girl was floored for a moment as her eyes widened.

On the upper level of the arena, her team was just as shocked. "There's no way!" Lee shouted, clinging to the guardrail like his life depended on it.

Guy had suddenly lost his incredible enthusiasm, adopting a more thoughtful expression as he surveyed the situation. "I agree, Lee. Tenten always hits her target, she never misses." He stated and despite evidence to the contrary, he was steadfast in his words.

He should've known, he'd been training her for the past year. "Maybe she's having an off day," Naruto innocently suggested, earning a look from Lee that bordered on insane.

"She does not have off days, not ever!" He defended his teammate, those large circular eyes of his burning into the blonde misfit as he held his hands up and backed away.

Pītā was perched on top of the guardrail, his arms resting on his thighs as he casually crouched there. "She didn't miss," he remarked in an off-handed manner, drawing the attention of both student and sensei alike.

Guy nodded in agreement, bringing his hand up and closing it into a fist. "Well, of course she didn't miss! At least one of your students has their head on straight, Kakashi." He turned to the silver haired man, silent and detached as always.

With his exposed eye half-lidded like it always was, Kakashi simply shrugged in response. "Care to elaborate, Pītā?" Kurenai piqued up, giving the boy a chance to explain his words even when the opposite had apparently happened.

Pītā cocked a thumb and lazily pointed it to his back, having noticed Temari use her secret weapon just as her brother had done in his fight. "There's a fan on her back, she used it to deflect Tenten's attack. She was quick; hard to see if you're not looking for it." He answered, earning a curious raise of the eyebrow from his own teacher.

"And why were _you_ looking for it?" He followed up, finding it rather intriguing but admittedly consistent with Pītā's behaviour.

He just seemed to notice things after all, this time being no different. "First the puppet, now the fan… question is, what's so special about that gourd on Gaara's back?" Pītā posed the query, both to himself and to those present.

Of course, his first guess would've been the most obvious. "Sand," Pītā was a little surprised when the word he'd been thinking off didn't come out of his mouth, someone had beaten him to the punch.

All eyes quickly changed course from crouched spider to stood dog-user, Kurenai especially wanted to know just how Kiba knew. "What? We stumbled across the weirdo back in the forest, no big deal." The feral boy defended himself, shrugging his shoulders carelessly.

Even as he received a hard glare from Shino and a lost, troubled look from Hinata. Like she wanted to say something but couldn't bring herself to, couldn't quite muster up the courage to. Shino wasn't much better, electing to stay silent on the matter, even as his sensei looked to him with those questioning red eyes of hers.

Pītā was naturally sceptical; he'd noticed how strange the tracker team had been acting ever since their time in the forest. Whatever it was that had happened, whatever they'd gone through or had seen, he seriously doubted it was 'no big deal' as Kiba had so dismissively claimed. But he decided not to press the matter, not at that moment anyway. They didn't want to talk about it, so he wouldn't force them to.

Back in the arena, a confused Tenten suddenly realized just how Temari had been avoiding all of her attacks when the girl in question brandished whatever it was she'd been carrying on her back. "Well, at least I know my aim wasn't off." She murmured to herself, inwardly relieved that her skill in marksmanship hadn't suddenly slipped.

Temari opened the giant iron fan, not all the way but enough to reveal a canvas-like material on the inside. "You know I had to get a permit to carry this thing around your village? Not a big fan of the 'rules' but it's only right I follow them, I _am_ a visitor after all." She explained, leaning on her fan casually as it stood erected from the ground.

She was being chatty, all pally-pally. "All to drag around a novelty sized fan? You know you could always seal it away, right?" Tenten suggested, bolting from her position to move around the stationary girl.

Temari remained unflinching, using her teal green eyes instead of her head or body to follow Tenten. "True, but I'm way too proud of it to hide it away from the world." She explained, even as she felt her opponent flank her.

Tenten was by no means the fastest ninja in the arena; she'd witnessed pure speed watching the all too familiar Lee for a year and very recently, Pītā. But what she lacked in that department, she made up for in something no-one else had. That something was an overabundance of weapons and ninja tools, stashed away on the many scrolls she was carrying on her person.

She leaped high, as high as she could and let a fairly bulky scroll unravel itself around her. Unsealing each and every weapon the scroll possessed with a wave of the hand, Tenten unleashed a barrage of stainless steel blades and razor sharp shuriken. Everything from scythes, sickles and swords exploded into existence in plumes of smoke. They rained down upon Temari and yet, much to Tenten's irritation, she didn't budge.

Once again, all she had to do was wave her fan a single time. "Seriously? Come on, kid, you're boring me." Temari boasted, watching as her prized weapon swept each and every danger away with hurricane force winds.

Winds so great that even most of the spectators had to brace themselves and hang onto something, shielding their eyes with their arms and hands. After being blown away by the gale in question, Tenten composed herself in mid-air and landed deftly, crouching with the impact and sliding across the stone ground before fully coming to a stop.

Her weapons weren't working, what was the point of them if they couldn't even reach their intended target? She needed to switch things up, think of something else and fast. Having weighed her options, spurred on by an increasingly condescending Temari as she tapped her foot impatiently, Tenten came to the conclusion that since long-range attacks weren't working, there was only one thing left to do.

Whipping out yet another scroll, Temari couldn't help but roll those brilliant teal eyes of hers. "Not going to work," she sang, smug as anything as Tenten scowled.

In response to the constant mocking and derision, the girl unsealed her new weapon of choice. A bō, a long wooden staff made out of red oak wood, allowing for maximum flexibility. Tenten brandished it like a pro, spinning it around her fingers, neck and body before holding it firm in both hands and pointing it at Temari.

Admittedly, the girl wasn't all that impressed. "You know, you wouldn't even get near me with that thing if I didn't want you to. But what the hell, let's make this interesting." Though she was game, anything to make one of the dullest fights she'd ever been a part of that little bit more exciting.

Tenten wasted no time in closing the distance between the two, catching actual movement from the girl ahead of her as Temari closed her fan and held it like a weapon. The brunette swung, swiping her bō from right to left but hitting nothing but air as Temari leaned backwards, the wooden end of the staff just barely missing her throat.

Her attacker was quick to follow up, bringing the bō back around for a lunge this time. Temari just barely managed to move, the blunt weapon passing in the space between her underarm and torso. It was her turn, employing her large iron fan with relative ease as she took a chance to strike Tenten at the back of her head.

Ninja or no ninja, that amount of force and weight might've just split the girl's head clean open. It was a good thing she fell forward, rolling before going for Temari's bare legs. The sandy blonde foreigner cried out in pain as something stung her hamstring, dropping her to her knees. She just managed to look up before catching the butt of the bō to her jaw, the blow hard enough to bust the girl's lip.

For how breezily she'd been handling the fight, treating Tenten as an annoyance more than anything, she'd still lost first blood to her. "Lucky shot," Temari muttered, gaining her bearings just as the Leaf-nin went in for another shot.

In order to put her out and down for good, as Tenten had realized that she was fairly out of her league. "Luck's got nothing to do with it!" That didn't stop her from yelling though, teeth gritted in anger as she raised her bō high and brought it down swiftly.

Wood collided with iron as Temari thought quick and blocked the strike with her closed fan, the red oak allowing incredible flexibility but ultimately, it hadn't been enough. Tenten had put so much force into the attempt, that the wood had bent right around the iron before simply giving. It splintered and broke, completely snapping in two as it was torn apart.

Tenten stood there for a moment, her mouth slightly ajar. "Aww, too bad." Temari capitalized on her apparent shock, driving a well-aimed foot directly into the girl's stomach.

She flew backwards almost immediately, her deep brown eyes practically bulging out of her head as the wind escaped her lungs. "You're lucky you're not a guy, I would've definitely gone for your 'boys'." Temari playfully teased, climbing to her feet as Tenten struggled and writhed on the ground.

Practically all males present winced at the teenager's words, rookie boys and experienced men united by a common fear. Tenten however, was occupied by panicking thoughts as she tried to make her head stop spinning. She'd played to her strengths to start with and stuck to ranged attacks, when that had lead her nowhere she'd switched it up and gotten up close and personal with her foe.

And there she was, lying on the ground and failing to live up to even Neji's low bar of expectations. "Oh, don't give up yet. You've shown your hand, allow me to show mine." She heard Temari's voice, huskier and more intimidating than her own shrill tone.

Problem was, she couldn't do anything about it. "Wind Scythe Jutsu!" Not even as Temari opened her fan up all the way to reveal three purple moons painted on the canvas, calling out a technique nobody had heard of and swiping said fan with all her might.

It was the girl's speciality, a Jutsu all her own and tailored to her specific abilities. Tenten got a chance to get intimately close with it, being swept up out of her pity party on the cold stone floor and whisked into the air. Not too high given the fact that they were indoors, but high enough for everyone to see the girl clearly. Suspended there, hurricane force winds enveloping her and whipping past her skin at frightening speeds. She screamed, everyone saw her mouth open and the anguish on her face but none heard it.

She was trapped in a vacuum, her own voice stolen from her as the winds raged on. Eventually, the scythe part of the Jutsu came into play. The invisible element was so sharp, so stinging, that it actually managed to cut and slice at Tenten's skin and clothes. Her pink blouse was sliced open and her green pants were cut to ribbons while her arms and face were slashed this way and that, tears spilling out of her tightly shut eyes, silently begging for the pain to stop.

"She's killing her, Guy-Sensei!" Lee was hysterical, those wide circular eyes of his fixed on the form of his friend suffering something horrific.

Guy heard the pleas of his student loud and clear, through his own pride of his pupils and the desire to see them succeed, he hadn't even considered the possibility that one might fail. "Lee's right, get her out of there." Kakashi lent his voice to the child with the bowl haircut and while Guy didn't need his opinion on the matter, it was most welcome regardless.

The green spandex clad man raised his hand, earning Hayate's immediate attention down in the arena. "Hayate, Tenten withdraws! Call it!" Guy bellowed, making the decision on behalf of his student and in the end, for her own well-being.

Hayate nodded, he'd been about to throw in the towel for his fellow Leaf-nin anyway. Though instead of ordering Temari to stop or waiting for her to do so of her own accord, he threw a well-aimed kunai knife directly at her. He'd made sure to telegraph it enough for her to notice, but she couldn't focus on manipulating her Chakra in order to control the mini-cyclone and deal with an airborne blade headed her way at the same time.

Easy choice in retrospect as Temari closed her fan and pinged the blade away with the stronger iron material of the weapon, breaking her concentration and thus, causing the cyclone to dissipate. Tenten fell, motionless and limp. Hayate would've moved in to catch her as well, he would have, had her sensei not been standing there already.

Ready and waiting, he caught the thirteen year old in his arms and held her close. "Medic! I need a medic!" Guy roared, his emotions getting the better of him even as Tenten weakly lifted her hand.

Luckily, they were already on their way over. Reluctantly, incredibly reluctantly actually, Guy handed her over to the people that knew how to take care of her. She was bleeding everywhere but only lightly, cuts only decorated the surface of her skin and hadn't gone deep enough to do any severe damage. She was breathing, her heartrate erratic but calming by the second as she was carried away in a stretcher.

Guy watched her leave, a frown lining his usually smiling lips. "Guess I went a little overboard, huh?" Temari mocked, not necessarily with a cruel edge to her voice or to spite the man.

Even so, that didn't stop her from earning an especially venomous sneer from one usually so jovial. He didn't engage the teenager, he simply turned his back on her and headed back to where he was supposed to be, by his remaining two students' side. Temari shrugged, she really had gone easy on the girl. If she'd really wanted to kill her, she'd have been a goner. She'd bled her targets out using her Wind Scythe Jutsu, she considered Tenten lucky to get away with what she thought of as minor paper cuts.

"By way of forfeit, the winner of the fifth match is Temari." Hayate announced, despite not needing to as it was painfully clear just who had triumphed.

Temari shrugged, turning tail and headed back towards the stairs to the upper level. "I knew you'd win, Temari! I said she'd win! Didn't I say she'd win?!" Until an unfortunately familiar voice halted her in her tracks, putting a frown on her face and raining on her parade.

Saidai yelled and cheered, whooped and hollered, embarrassing both his team and the girl of his affections. "Take the hint and buzz off, Saidai!" Temari yelled back, before she stormed off of the arena and back up the stairs to return to her siblings.

The bald Suna-nin blinked not once but twice, before he turned to his teammates looking for aid. "Was it something I said?" He innocently queried, watching as Kuentin rubbed the back of his neck and Mikio simply ignored him.

Kuentin didn't know what to say, it was very obvious what his problem was but the boy was surprisingly sensitive despite his volatile nature. "Perhaps you should try being… I don't know, more subtle?" He suggested though had phrased his words like a question, meaning even he wasn't sure what he was talking about.

That was Kuentin in a nutshell, cocky and confident as hell when it came to Genjutsu but just as green as the rest of them when it came to girls. "I'm no expert on the subject, nor will I pretend to be. But I've been told the key to a girl's heart is… chocolate," Mikio stunned the pair as he pitched in, his arms folded and gaze elsewhere indicating a lack of interest in the subject.

But if that were true, he wouldn't have spoken up in the first place. "That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Saidai deadpanned back in response, though maybe regretted ever saying it when Mikio's gaze fell upon him.

"Let me make sure I heard right, did you just call me stupid?" The teenager, towering over them like a grown man though, narrowed those cold unfeeling eyes of his.

Saidai stammered, holding up his hands in defence for all the good it would've done. "I'm pretty sure he meant the idea was stupid, not the person proposing it. Though, if I'm being perfectly honest, I didn't even know you _liked_ girls." Kuentin chuckled, coming to Saidai's aid and unintentionally dropping himself in it in the process.

Mikio paused for a moment, weighing his options before he'd do anything drastic. "I'm going to pretend you didn't imply what I think you implied," he scowled, forcing Kuentin to take a step back out of a sense of self-preservation.

Saidai stepped in, a big friendly smile on his face even as Mikio's sharp predatory eyes burned into him. "You can like whoever you want, big guy! We'd accept you no matter what!" He grinned, apparently unable to read the situation.

The green brute standing in front of him was silent for a moment, his hands slowly closing into impossibly tight fists. "Sensei, I request permission to kill the both of them and rid us of this lunacy." Mikio formally asked, though did not remove his gaze from the two boys that constantly wore away at his sanity on a daily basis.

Arisutā, the trio's teacher, peaked up from the book he was reading. "No, Mikio. For the seventeenth time this month, you cannot kill your teammates." It seemed he'd been following along with the squad's painfully awkward conversation, enough to know when things were getting out of hand anyway.

That was the issue with Mikio, he'd been put on a team but he wasn't a team player. He had to work with others but preferred to do almost everything himself, a loner in that regard. He was an angry one at that and that anger needed to be kept in check, redirected at someone or something that wasn't on their side.

Things had been going rather smoothly for the bespectacled man; they were just for reading mostly. Though, as evidenced by the seventeen times Mikio had desperately wanted to kill the pair, Saidai and Kuentin had a knack for pushing his buttons. It was unintentional with the latter but with the former; sometimes even Arisutā wondered if the kid had a death wish.

Their little squad was as dysfunctional as it got, which was saying something. He certainly didn't pity the difficult task Baki had of looking after the siblings, that man must have had the patience of a saint.

Over on the opposite side of the arena, Guy was uncharacteristically quiet as he bowed his head. "You made the right call, Guy." He felt the pressure of a friendly hand on his shoulder before he heard Kakashi's dull tone, urging him to raise his head and look the man in the eye.

He nodded; of course he'd done the right thing. "Above all else, ensuring her safety was the most important thing." He spouted the positive sentiment, not quite in the mood to offer a wink and a blinding grin though.

Instead, he settled for a sombre smile. A quiet Pītā Pākā leaned backwards onto the guardrail, he was just as upset as they were that Tenten had lost and in such an unpleasant fashion too. She hadn't deserved it and he'd been considering jumping into the match to shut things down, just as he had with Kankurō but instead of someone stopping him, someone had beaten him to the punch.

Pītā's first impression of Might Guy was that he was loud; he boasted a lot and claimed things that maybe weren't entirely true. He seemed less like a wise adult, an experienced ninja that had been tasked with the undertaking of guiding the next generation and more like an eager kid in a grown man's body. He didn't just share Rock Lee's demeanour or… interesting choice in clothing but also his energy, though Pītā wasn't sure whether that was necessarily a good thing for someone of his age.

In all honesty, the young spider had thought that he was sort of full of himself. But he shook his head, for his perception of the man had been pretty radically changed and it took someone threatening the life of one of Guy's students to do it. He'd made a choice, clearly struggled with it but in the end, chose to do what was right. The way he'd leaped right down into the arena, saving the girl from a nasty fall and quickly giving her the once over before calling out for help, it was blatantly clear to Pītā that there was something more to the man than all of that bluster and self-worshipping nonsense.

Just like Kakashi, Guy cared and regarded the lives of his pupils as precious things, invaluable in their worth. He wasn't a bad guy to have around, excessive crying aside. As for the child Guy had saved from further harm, Pītā only hoped that Tenten would make a full, speedy recovery. She was kind, perhaps a little too trusting for her own good but in the end, she'd just been outmatched by Temari.

The third and final member of Team 3 was, just like the spider, silent. Neji pondered the fact that he'd called it, he'd been right and although some small part of him had wished for Tenten to succeed, those Sand Siblings were proving to be formidable opponents. Despite this, the Hyūga-Clan prodigy didn't bother voicing the fact that he'd been right, announcing to all present just how sharp he was and how accurate he'd been. Because Tenten was his teammate and her failure was his failure, just like her success was his success.

Instead, he folded his arms, waited for whoever would fight next to steal the focus from the occupied spectators and mutely hoped that his ally would be okay. He was confident she would be, just like he'd been fairly confident she would've lost her fight. But that nagging feeling of concern latched onto him, something he'd rarely felt throughout his life but was always the case when it came to those he cared about.

Admittedly and rather sadly, that list of people was a very short one.

* * *

Two more names flashed on the wall-mounted monitor, summoning the next pair of combatants to the arena. "Kin Tsuchi and Shikamaru Nara, let's go." Hayate urged on, waving a hand as he'd hoped to get the sixth match underway without delay or drama.

The girl of the duo, stood silently on the upper level of the arena, frowned. She didn't know the name; she didn't care enough to know. But she knew the face, Shikamaru had been one of the many pests she'd encountered back in the Forest of Death when her team had attempted to find and kill Sasuke Uchiha, a task given to them by their master that ultimately, proved too difficult for ninja of even their skill.

Kin didn't have fond memories of her time in that Godforsaken place; she'd been stood up to by a pink haired weakling, possessed by a mouthy little brat and batted around by her own damn teammate. A ghost of a smile crossed her lips as she recalled just where Zaku was, laid out and being treated for injuries that he'd caused himself with his own unique brand of obnoxious idiocy. Of course, the smile disappeared just as quickly.

The Sound-nin wasn't exactly a joyous person and she'd had nothing but trouble in her time in the Leaf, a place she couldn't wait to leave at worst and level at best. Of course, that was her little secret. A secret she only shared with the boy by her side, hunched over and as focused as ever.

"Shikamaru, that's the shadow-user, correct?" His recollection of the incident was a little hazy, though he attributed that to having the sense beaten out of him by a severely angry Sasuke.

Kin nodded, a hand on her waist as she refrained from turning to the unofficial leader of her squad. "I'm not worried," she claimed, though stiffened slightly when a heavy weight weighed her shoulder down.

Dosu's gauntlet wearing hand demanded her attention without him having to verbally request it, an effect the weapon had on most people. "Then I'd call you a fool, Kin. Remember, he got the drop on me with it, had me imitating a statue for minutes. Don't make the same mistake Zaku made, these Leaf children are stronger than they appear." He lectured and this time, Kin listened.

As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. They'd suffered nothing but loss after loss during their time in the exams, deep in enemy territory. It was disheartening, embarrassing really, to lose to a bunch of rookie kids. But they had, so a bit of caution was necessary given their recent track record. The long haired teenager, pitch black in its colour, didn't bother to challenge Dosu's advice or ignore it.

She didn't want to end up like Zaku, beaten and broken and pathetic. "With Lord Orochimaru absent, you're the boss." Kin told him, sliding the boy's metal gauntlet off of her shoulder and making her way towards the stairs.

Dosu pondered her words; it was an important thing to note. They'd been taught since their earliest days with him to never question his comings and goings, never inquire as to where he came from and where he was headed. It was his business and his business alone; they were ignorant children as far as he was concerned. But where had he gone? They were fighting to make it through to the final round, wasn't that important?

To them maybe, to him… Dosu figured it wasn't worth a damn to him. The possibilities regarding his 'master's' whereabouts quickly flooded his mind, he'd shortly disappeared after one of those Leaf Jōnin had taken Sasuke somewhere. Where, he didn't know. But if Dosu could have, he would've bet money on Orochimaru following them for a chance to speak to Sasuke.

He didn't understand the snake's obsession with the boy but he'd marked him, which meant he was planning something. "Whatever it is you're doing, Orochimaru, I hope you haven't blown your cover. Surely you're smart enough to avoid that, 'sensei'." Dosu muttered to himself, evident contempt in his voice as he talked about his master.

Unbeknownst to Orochimaru, Dosu was starting to slip from his grasp. He was starting to think for himself, starting to see the bigger picture. And that was bad news, not just for the Shinin but for _everyone_.

Shikamaru sighed as he watched his opponent take to the arena, walking with purpose and drive while he rested his folded arms on the guardrail of the upper level. "What a drag," he murmured, closing his eyes for a moment as the reality of the situation set in.

He'd been witnessing others fight their battles for so long that he'd gotten complacent, he'd almost convinced himself that his turn would never come. "Best to just get it over with," a hardy pat from Chōji served to 'wake him up' a little, forcing him out of his reclined position and into a more erect one.

He wasn't tired, well… he _was_ tired but he wasn't exhausted. He hadn't been sleeping, he just hadn't been prepared. And now he had to fight, worst still, he had to fight a girl. Nothing against the fairer sex but Shikamaru saw that as somewhat of an advantage, boys were faster and stronger than girls and nothing he had seen thus far had challenged those rather complicated viewpoints of his.

But there was also a small part of him that was sort of afraid, what if he lost? Shikamaru had seen what Kin and her teammates were capable of first-hand, they were incredibly talented and proficient in their own unique brand of Sound Jutsu. Man-made and manufactured no doubt, but still deadly and dangerous.

Except… Kin hadn't revealed any of her abilities, not even a hint of just what she could do. That troubled Shikamaru, not just because he didn't know what to look out for or how to counter it but because she'd seen _his_ Jutsu. His Shadow Possession Jutsu, the same technique he'd used to briefly immobilize the one covered in bandages, was pretty much his trademark. Kin had an edge he didn't, he'd already lost the advantage and he hadn't even stepped into the arena yet.

He swallowed, stuffing both of his hands into his shorts pocket. "Had to happen sooner or later," his rotund friend was right in the end, win or lose; he just wanted to see the tail end of it.

"You look a little pale, kid." A firm hand found its way to the boy's small shoulder, the stench of cigarettes surrounding Shikamaru as his sensei looked down at him.

The Genin covered his mouth, refraining from coughing even as the smoke burned the inside of his nose. "You're smarter than her, so use that. I don't know how but that's where that big brain of yours factors in, right?" Asuma encouraged and although he hadn't known him long, he knew just as well as everyone else that Shikamaru was a thinker.

The boy was a strategic wiz that knew just how to manipulate his enemies, position them on the battlefield like pawns in a game of chess. Or more appropriately, pieces in a game of shogi. As long as he kept a clear head, as long as he didn't let himself fall prey to distractions or his enemy's tricks, he'd almost always gain the upper hand.

Shikamaru nodded, wincing slightly as his eyes began to water. "Right," was all he could manage, having to cut and run just to breathe clean air once again.

Asuma watched him leave with his mouth slightly ajar, about to speak when his student had ditched him. "Hey, the pep talk's not over yet!" He called after the kid but it was too late, he'd bolted down the stairs and was well on his way to starting his match.

The stunned sensei shook his head in disbelief, though found his attention pulled towards a voice next to him. "Maybe you should take the hint and quit," Pītā piped up, earning a light chuckle from the man and a ruffle of the hair to go along with it.

The brown haired spider quirked an eyebrow, he hadn't meant his words to come off as anything other than genuine. "You were right, Kakashi… he _is_ funny." Asuma casually brushed off the sentiment, taking a big ole' puff of the cigarette hanging between his lips.

Kakashi stiffened as Pītā slowly turned and set his sights on him, coyly smiling at the interesting piece of information he'd just acquired. "You think I'm funny?" He queried, though it did nothing to pull the man's half-lidded gaze away from the budding fight and towards his pupil.

But he couldn't outright ignore him, even if he really wanted to. "I have no idea what he's talking about," Kakashi instead chose to act ignorant, he didn't want one of his kids to get a swelled head after all.

Though, Asuma had twisted his words. In Kakashi'sdefence, he'd said the boy was 'amusing'. Not funny but amusing, just for clarity.

* * *

Hayate wasted no time in getting things underway, his eyes darting between the two kids as he raised his arm. "Begin," he gave the okay, the signal to commence the battle before he quickly took a step back.

Kin moved first, Shikamaru let her. Sure, he could've used his Shadow Possession Jutsu to completely paralyze her but she'd have been expecting it. One of the drawbacks to his technique was that if a ninja knew it was coming, it was fairly easy to dodge. It was similar to Ino's Mind Transfer Jutsu in that regard, which was one of the many reasons why they combined the two so effectively.

So the genius decided to hold off, he wanted to see what the Sound-nin could do before he committed to doing something that he might've regretted. His wish was granted as two senbon needles were thrown his way, darting through the air as Kin leaped backwards, putting a bit of distance between the pair. Senbon needles were hard to see in the heat of battle, that was what made them so dangerous. But despite his laidback demeanour, Shikamaru was alert enough to avoid them.

He ducked, feeling a slight breeze pass over him. Kin had thrown them hard enough for them to get lodged into the wall some distance behind Shikamaru, not too deep but enough to keep them embedded. A jingling of bells caught his ear as Kin smirked; he thought he'd caught something off about the senbon. An interesting tactic, giving him something to listen out for instead of just looking for the danger.

Shikamaru wasn't sure who she was helping, him or herself. "You're not very talkative, are you?" Kin queried, citing him to be a far cry from the rest of the brats she'd encountered.

The raven haired Genin shrugged, preferring to keep his mouth shut when he had nothing of value to say. "Don't need to be, not during a fight anyway." He reasoned, citing the battlefield as the one place where words served only as distractions.

He didn't speak but his mind went to work, trying to plan and stay one step ahead of his opponents at all times. "So your mouth _does_ work, how about your ears? Can you hear that, kid?" Kin posed the odd question, momentarily losing Shikamaru before he found himself again.

The bells, she was referring to the bells. He didn't respond, he didn't need to. She was planning something, only he had no clue what. Not until he heard the bells, actually _heard_ them. Shikamaru furrowed his brow, blinking as he suddenly felt queasy. Nothing but the melodic ringing of bells filling his ears, even as he attempted to cover them with his hands.

Even as his vision started to blur, the boy caught Kin's hand moving, puppeteering something unseen. The Shinobi internally cursed, it was ninja wire, she was using ninja wire to jingle the bells from afar, hanging off of the senbon still nailed to the wall behind him. The thing about ninja wire, just like senbon in that regard, was that it was hard to see if you weren't looking for it.

With no sunlight in the building, the translucent wires gave off no glint or glisten, rendering them effectively invisible in Kin's hand. "Starting to feel it, aren't you? The sound entering your ears, clawing its way inside your head." She taunted, watching with great satisfaction as Shikamaru fell to his knees.

Once again, Shikamaru had to internally chastise himself. Sound, of course her deal was sound. The one covered in bandages, Dosu if he remembered correctly, used that gauntlet of his to create soundwaves while his Chakra manipulated them. Zaku's ability was much more confrontational, much more straightforward as he was able to fire pressurized streams of sound and air right out of the palms of his hands.

Kin had been the wildcard and ultimately, that was swinging the fight in her favour. "I think I have the best ability out of my team, they might be a little more destructive than I am but I can stop anyone in their tracks with a jingle of a bell." She boasted, expertly using her Chakra to weave and move the sound into Shikamaru's inner ear.

Even as he covered them, he could still hear it. "It'll make you nauseated; make you want to be sick. But worst of all, it'll make you start seeing things." She warned, listing the many effects of her very potent Jutsu.

True to her word, Shikamaru watched with widening eyes as Kin split in two, then four, then six, then eight, then ten. More and more of her kept cropping up, until the lad's line of sight was filled with nothing but Kin, smirking deviously as she had him at her mercy. She was right; he _did_ want to throw up. His head was spinning, his stomach churning. When was the last time he ate anything?

His stomach lurched and he winced as he had to hold it in, just thinking about food was a very bad idea. "Your arms are useless, legs are even worse. I doubt you can even lift that head of yours long enough to keep eye contact, it can be quite disheartening realizing you lost the fight before it had even begun." She kept talking and unfortunately, Shikamaru had no choice but to listen.

"Here, no bells this time, promise." Kin mocked, whipping out a handful of sharp senbon needles.

Shikamaru clenched his jaw; he could not move a muscle, not even as they sliced their way towards him. He'd mentally prepared himself for the pain but it still shocked him, needles finding their mark and penetrating his body. Two in his right arm, one in his left shoulder, one in the side of his torso and one just glancing his ear, blood leaking from the freshly inflicted cut. He inwardly cried out in agony, he couldn't even open his mouth to scream.

Luckily, there were no fatal injuries. At least, not yet anyway. She was playing with him, like he was the mouse to her cat. He doubted she'd miss her mark the second time, watching as she fetched more senbon needles from the pouch on her waist. He just needed a little more time, just a little more and…

"There," Shikamaru felt the word escape his lips as the bells finally stopped, ceasing in their hypnotic ringing.

It was Kin's turn to mimic a statue, a raised fist full of senbon frozen like a stock image. "What?! What have you done?! How?!" She blurted out, still able to talk as he hadn't paralyzed her body.

He'd just taken control of it, having quietly snaked his stark black shadow along the only thing connecting them. "Didn't want to be obvious, you were looking for my shadow, you'd have seen it coming. All I needed was a link and ironically enough, your ninja wire provided just that." He explained, shakily climbing to his feet as Kin realized that while he had been helpless, he'd also been waiting.

As Shikamaru carefully pulled the senbon out of his arms, shoulders and side (he went a little slower with that last needle), he pondered his approach. He'd let her make the first move, let her reveal her sleight of hand and while he had indeed fallen prey to it, he'd improvised and spotted a severe flaw in that plan of hers.

The ninja wire, the very thing she was using to manipulate the bells behind him and wreak havoc on every one of his senses. She'd thrown the senbon directly at him and he'd ducked, the transparent lines hanging right over him and ultimately, crafting the perfect path from him to her.

He blinked a few times as he threw the last of the needles to the ground, staining the stone floor with droplets of blood as he tried to clear his vision. With the sound gone, it seemed like silence had set in. With nothing cursing his eyesight and mental faculties, an army of Kin disappeared and was replaced by a single one, trapped in a single moment of time.

The boy lifted his arm to perfectly mirror the girl, opening his fist and watching as she did the same. "You can drop the needles, you won't need them." He calmly told her and Kin tried to fight it but ultimately, could only watch as she relinquished her grasp of her weapons.

They clanged as they hit the hard surface of the floor, metal and stone colliding and echoing through the stunned arena. They'd all thought Kin had it in the bag, they'd all thought Shikamaru had been done for. Well, not entirely. Those that knew him, his team, his sensei, his friends, they knew to wait until the end of the fight. Because with Shikamaru, even the surest win could quickly crumble into the hardest defeat.

"So, what now? You might have turned the tables but as long as you have control over my shadow, you can't make a move without me making the exact same one." Kin analysed, the brief exposure to his Jutsu back in the forest giving her just enough knowledge to know how it worked.

Shikamaru shrugged, she was right after all. "When you're right, you're right." He agreed, reaching into the pouch on his waist and right on cue, watching her do the same.

Both ninja retrieved a single shuriken, razor tipped and perfectly crafted for spinning its way towards its target and through anything unlucky enough to have been in its path. "You're out of your mind! If you throw that, I'll throw mine! We'll hit each other!" Kin exclaimed, unable to comprehend just what was going through the kid's head.

Then again, most people couldn't understand Shikamaru's thought process. "We better avoid them then," he casually advised, winding up and letting the deadly tool fly.

Fly it did, both his and hers. Kin smirked as she watched him lean backwards and dodge her shuriken, the idiot hadn't thought ahead as his dodge allowed her to do exactly the same thing. Unfortunately for the girl, Shikamaru had been counting on exactly that. She leaned backwards, avoiding the shuriken but failing to notice how close she'd been standing to the wall. Kin hit it, full force, the top of her head colliding with unyielding stone.

Dosu winced before bringing his hand to his face, she'd been played like a damn fiddled and even he hadn't seen it coming. Kin slid to the ground, her eyes shut, the smirk on her face gone and effectively, knocked the heck out. Shikamaru lost his grip on her shadow, feeling it recede and slink its way back to him. He sighed, what an exhausting experience.

Taking one last look at his condescending opponent, Shikamaru only had one parting word for her. "Idiot," he muttered, waiting on the spot for the medical-nin to approach him and treat his injuries and for Hayate to call the match.

And call it, he did. "The winner of the sixth match is Shikamaru Nara," Hayate announced to a one-sided chorus of cheers coming from the Leaf side of the upper level, he paid it no mind as he checked up on the girl left unconscious.

She was fine, still breathing but most likely had some kind of concussion. He didn't know, he wasn't an expert. He waved over the people that dealt with that sort of stuff, backing off as medical-nin moved in on the visiting competitor. Kin was carried off of the arena just like many examinees preceding her, laid out on a stretcher and lost in dreamland.

It didn't take long for Shikamaru to get patched up and when he climbed the stairs to the upper level, he was met with enthusiastic congratulations, an incredible win such as that did wonders for the group's morale. Especially after one of their own suffered such a devastating loss immediately before him, it was never fun watching someone give it their all only to suffer a soul-crushing defeat in the process. But as the rookie Genin were only just discovering, that was how hard-hitting reality could be.

"You—you were incredible, Shikamaru." Hinata managed to stammer through her words, earning an appreciative if slightly lacklustre nod in return.

He meant no offense of course, he just couldn't be bothered. "Yeah, those Sound punks are down to their last man!" Kiba cheered, fangs on display as he grinned and pumped his fist into the air.

Once again, Shikamaru barely managed the smallest of gestures with a nod. "That's two out of three so far, not bad for a slacker." Asuma ribbed, all in good fun of course as he noted how his team seemed to have been on a roll.

Chōji couldn't help but gulp, the pressure was suddenly on for him to keep that streak going. "You really gave her the run around, she basically beat herself!" Naruto laughed, while Shikamaru's means of approaching a fight vastly differed from his own, he certainly recognized the imagination of it.

Shikamaru allowed a self-congratulatory smile to pass over his lips, closing his eyes as he verbally patted himself on the back. "Yep, that was the plan." He boasted, making it seem like he'd been toying with the idea before he'd even set foot on the arena's floor.

And really, he had. It seemed like arrogance but it really wasn't, it was just simple truth. That was the thing with Shikamaru; he was always five steps ahead of the curve. It was great having bruisers, brawlers or speedsters on a team. But a thinker, now that was the real key to success.

* * *

Emerald eyes fluttered open, finally waking up to the world after having been shut for so long. How long had she been out? It must've been hours, it certainly felt like hours. What time was it? Was it still day or had the sun finally fell from the sky? All questions Sakura didn't know the answer to, one thing she was sure of though was that she was still tired.

She ached all over, her arms trembling, her knees wobbly, her head spinning and… oh. "What? When did…?" The girl voiced her confusion, finding her arm covered in slightly red stained bandages.

It suddenly dawned on the girl; she'd been injured during her fight with Ino. "Look who's finally awake," speak of the devil, a young feminine tone found its way right into Sakura's ear.

She would've jumped out of her skin had she had the energy but she didn't, so the preteen had to settle for lazily turning her head to face her peer. "Ino? What… what're you doing here?" She sleepily spoke, her voice as quiet as a church mouse but just loud enough for the pale blonde to catch.

Sakura only just realized that she didn't look a perfect picture health either, though she still wore a smile. "Here? We're still in the arena, dummy. Our fight's over but it's only been half an hour, Sakura." She broke the news, momentarily losing the girl.

The pink haired Kunoichi had to pull her gaze away from her, looking elsewhere to confirm her words. "Has it really only been that long?" Sakura murmured, to herself more than anyone else.

True to Ino's word, there they were. Her friends, her team, all pressed against the metal guardrail and watching whoever it was that was duking it out down in the arena. Though… when had she gotten back up to the upper level? The last thing she remembered was falling, falling until somebody caught her.

She certainly hadn't climbed the stairs herself, not unless she'd sleepwalked and that was simply ridiculous. "So… did I lose?" Sakura let the question slip out, something she'd been trying to avoid but ultimately, could not deny.

Ino didn't answer, not right away at least. The smile on her face vanished, replaced by not quite a frown but something else. Something conflicted, echoing her thoughts and feelings on the matter. Sakura had lost, not for a lack of trying but… she'd lost. There were parts of the fight where Ino honestly thought she was going to lose; Sakura had managed to keep pace with her every step of the way, the two of them constantly one-upping each other.

Until finally, someone had to give, someone had to break and someone had to lose.

Sakura nodded, Ino's silence on the matter spoke volumes. "I wasn't ready," she realized, something of a self-evaluation in the wake of the outcome.

Ino paused, those icy blue eyes of hers staring at her friend quite disbelievingly. "That's not true, Sakura." She encouraged or tried to, at least.

Ino didn't know what shocked her more, the tears emerging at the corners of her friend's eyes or the sad smile on her face. "No, it's not a bad thing, honest. I knew I wasn't ready, I let everyone tell me otherwise and I let myself believe it but deep down… I knew." Sakura cried, she simply couldn't hold it in any longer.

Her companion didn't know what to say, she wasn't sure there was anything she could've said in such a delicate situation. "Sakura?" She decided on the obvious, speaking the girl's voice in a quiet concern-filled whisper.

The girl leaned backwards, lazily resting her head on the solid stone wall behind her. "Next time… I don't know when that'll be but I swear, I'll be ready next time." She vowed, content with her loss where others would have been less than gracious.

Ino was at a loss for words, she knew Sakura wasn't the frightened little girl from way back when anymore but… since when had she become such a grown up?

"You know something, Sakura? I believe you," Ino smiled, reaching over to place a gentle encouraging hand on the girl's knee.

A rare moment of silence and serenity was shared between the two girls where they weren't berating each other or at one another's throats, one victor and one loser but in the end, both equals. It seemed when a boy called Sasuke was cast aside and forgotten by the pair, time rewound to a childhood that had long since passed.

Innocent days spent picking daises and chrysanthemums in the green forests of Konoha, tumbling in the grass and laughing whilst doing it before lying under the stars at night, fondly daydreaming of a future that hadn't exactly gone according to plan. Best friends forever, a promise broken but soon on the mend in the aftermath of bittersweet defeat.

If only for a little while…

* * *

 **Author's Note:** So Sakura lost, huh? That's a pretty big deal, right? Here's my reason for that, have you guys spotted Inner Sakura anywhere in the story thus far? Well, that's because she doesn't exist in this story. I never liked the concept, I honestly thought it was ridiculous. Sakura's supposed to represent the average person in the series, a character that progress and gets stronger not through power-ups or gifts but through grit, determination and hard work. Her having an inner personality that pretty much operates independently of herself doesn't really fall in line with my interpretation of Sakura, so I cut it.

Sakura wasn't ready for the exams and I thought that'd be an interesting path to take, you know? She's a champ though, she'll handle it.

Thanks again for reading, more fights to come next chapter. Cheers!

 **Guest Reviews:**

 **DocKucCRO:** Glad to be back, I love writing this story and I look forward to you reading it!

 **Aztec 13:** Hey, that's the great thing about having an open mind, it's constantly changing! You settle on Sakura now but you might prefer Temari tomorrow or someone else the next day, it;'s a good thing Pītā has such good chemistry with others.

 **GreatSaiyaman54:** Black Panther's one of the few characters that could blend into this world pretty seamlessly, so I think he has a pretty good chance of showing up in the future.

 **Nick T:** I did and I thought it was amazing, the fluidity and agility of Peter's movements, the sheer detail and scale of the city, I'm incredibly hyped for Marvel's Spider-Man. And I saw Homecoming, loved it every bit of it. Easily my favorite Marvel movie, though I may be biased since I'm such a big Spider-Man fan. I love putting references and easter eggs into the stuff I write but only if it's natural, not ham-fisted.

Also, yeah, Kano's an OC courtesy of **Deadpoolsson**. She's an interesting character, she'll factor into something very important in the near future. She's a bit of a jerk at the minute but that's the great thing about people, they're complicated.

 **coldblue:** 1) I think it's pretty much inevitable that Mikio uses poisons at some point, that's a big part of his schtick in the comics and I'd be doing him a disservice if I didn't carry that over. The tail too, though I won't elaborate on that as it'd give something away.

2) Expect many more fights, they're not over yet. As for character deaths, it's a little too early for that. The story changes drastically when the Crush kicks off, that's all I'll say.

3) Like above, no. I think the teachers are far too experienced and well-versed in this stuff to let something like that happen.

4) I think Orochimaru already got a very up close and personal look at what Pītā's capable off, he was so impressed he tried to mark him. That dynamic will carry on throughout the story, in ways that may surprise you.

5) Much too early to tell and it'd depend on the circumstances, so I can't comment on that.

6) That I can comment on, though not much. There may or may not be an instance of that in the future but not in the way you think, spoilers.

Thanks for the reviews and the continued support, guys!


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